Carmichael mine decisions need wider perspective: Samantha Hepburn

Samantha Hepburn argues we need a wider
perspective of projects such as the Carmichael Mine.

Queensland mining minister Anthony Lynham has granted three mining leases for the Carmichael coal mine in central Queensland. The A$21.7 billion plan features six open-cut mines and up to five underground mines – with the coal destined for Indian power plants that could emit as much as 4.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in the process.

The plan already has environmental approval, which was issued by the Queensland government subject to 140 conditions that included protection for the endangered black-throated finch, among other considerations.

The Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection concluded that these conditions were enough to protect not only the black-throated finch but also the entire Great Barrier Reef against any potentially catastrophic environmental impacts. This is particularly disturbing given the fact that the Great Barrier Reef is currently undergoing its worst documented bleaching outbreak.

Read the piece on The Conversation by the Director of the Centre for Energy and Natural Resources Law at the Deakin University Law School, Samantha Hepburn - “The Carmichael mine lease shows that decisions on coal need a much wider perspective.”