PERTH: The Australian government is under worldwide scrutiny after recently approving a controversial coal mine that might threaten the Great Barrier Reef.
The Carmichael mine, set to be one of the world’s largest coal mines, will be located in Queensland – the same state that’s home to the Great Barrier Reef, which spans more than 2,000 km of Queensland’s eastern shoreline.
The project is in partnership with India’s Adani Enterprises, who saw a share increase of more than 11 per cent after Australia’s environment ministry approved of the mine.
Reports from Greenpeace Australia indicate that the Carmichael mine’s proximity to the reef could have a direct impact on marine wildlife.
“Carmichael would be a complete disaster for the climate and the Great Barrier Reef … The federal government and Environment Minister should be in the business of protecting the Reef and the climate, not giving mining companies license to destroy them,” Greenpeace Australia campaigner Shani Tager said in a statement.
”This project means more dredging in the Great Barrier Reef, more ships through its waters and more carbon emissions.”
The Carmichael mine was temporarily blocked by Australia’s federal court in August, The Guardian reports. The ruling was on the premise that Greg Hunt, environment minister, didn’t consider the advice his department provided about the mine’s impact on two vulnerable species: the yakka skink, and the ornamental snake.
Now, Hunt says approval has been granted subject to “36 of the strictest conditions in Australian history,” the BBC reports.
The mine is expected to measure up at an area seven times the size of the Sydney Harbour, the publication adds.
The Great Barrier Reef is so massive it can be viewed from outer space, and it sees approximately 2 million visitors annually.
