The State Government of Victoria, Australia, at the behest of Minister for Energy and Resources, Peter Batchelor, is planning to export brown coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel on the planet, to India, 12 million tonnes per annum for 40 years!As many of you will know, burning coal is widely regarded as the prime threat to the planet's climate system and its stability. James Hansen, head of Goddard Institute for space studies at NASA and perhaps the world's most important climate scientist, has said of coal that it represents: ''the single greatest threat to civilisation and all life on our planet''. In light of the science and the dire consequences of conducting business as usual, it is astonishing to me that someone like Peter Batchelor could be so enthusiastic about exporting more brown coal on top of the dangerous amounts of coal Australia already exports. When are our leaders going to show the same enthusiasm towards clean and sustainable energy? Climate change is not a national issue. It does not respect borders or affect only those responsible for driving it. What someone like Peter Batchelor might do robs everyone of their right to a livable future. We simply cannot let politicians like him get away with it!
The State Government of Victoria, Australia, at the behest of Minister for Energy and Resources, Peter Batchelor, is planning to export brown coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel on the planet, to India, 12 million tonnes per annum for 40 years!As many of you will know, burning coal is widely regarded as the prime threat to the planet's climate system and its stability. James Hansen, head of Goddard Institute for space studies at NASA and perhaps the world's most important climate scientist, has said of coal that it represents: ''the single greatest threat to civilisation and all life on our planet''. In light of the science and the dire consequences of conducting business as usual, it is astonishing to me that someone like Peter Batchelor could be so enthusiastic about exporting more brown coal on top of the dangerous amounts of coal Australia already exports. When are our leaders going to show the same enthusiasm towards clean and sustainable energy? Climate change is not a national issue. It does not respect borders or affect only those responsible for driving it. What someone like Peter Batchelor might do robs everyone of their right to a livable future. We simply cannot let politicians like him get away with it!
Dear Peter Batchelor, Minister for Energy and Resources, We the undersigned would like to draw your atention to the dangers of the exportation and burning of brown coal to world security, environmental and human health and the future of life on our planet. Your push to export 12 million tonnes of brown caol to India for 40 years would be a severe blow to Australia's credibility and ability in tackling the fast encroaching climate crisis. The time-line for winding down the use of fossil fuels and becoming carbon neutral is a lot less than 40 years. As someone who knows the science far better than you or I, Dr. James Hansen has said of coal that it represents: ''the single greatest threat to civilisation and all life on our planet''. In light of what you must know about the terrifying and present dangers of increasing the consumption of coal, particularly brown coal, the dirtiest of the dirtiest, we ask you to reconsider and say NO to raising the prospect of a truly hellish future brought on by the reckless and deeply irresposible pursual of exporting and burning brown coal. We thank you for taking the time to read and carefully consider this most vital issue.
We signed the "Say NO to new brown coal exports to India" petition!
# 87:
12:01 am PST, Nov 21,Jenny Dooley, Australia
# 86:
10:10 pm PDT, Oct 31,Angel Bai, California
# 85:
2:07 am PDT, Oct 29,Rose Becke, Australia
This is a joke !!
# 84:
3:30 am PDT, Oct 25,Chris Hui, Australia
Brown coal is the worst CO2 polluter of all the fossil fuels, and Victoria wants to have others join their addiction. Not to mention it will be the Vic energy industry using more brown coal energy to process, dry and transport the stuff before shipping it.
# 83:
2:18 am PDT, Oct 15,Can Atik, Turkey
# 82:
9:40 pm PDT, Oct 6,Janet Ellis, Australia
Today scientists at the UK Met office announced that their modelling shows a 16 degree warming for the Arctic with a 4 degree warming for Australia if we don't reduce emissions by 3% per year. Coal exports should be phased out along with coal fired power stations. We can reduce emissions. Its only our politicians who are holding us back. Please take strong action now so that my children can have the prospect of some sort of life.
# 81:
9:10 pm PDT, Oct 5,Pam Boland, Georgia
# 80:
3:49 pm PDT, Oct 4,Alexandra Bokova, Czech Republic
# 79:
6:29 am PDT, Oct 3,Ivy Ren, Australia
For the love of our children, please stop this insanity!
# 78:
5:17 am PDT, Oct 3,Rick Ren, Australia
# 77:
5:17 am PDT, Oct 3,Name not displayed, United Kingdom
# 76:
12:17 am PDT, Oct 3,Davin Baker, Australia
Peter Batchelor, please reconsider your actions before you become an accomplice to the sixth mass extinction event on planet earth.
# 75:
5:23 pm PDT, Oct 1,Nick Pettitt, Australia
Please think about the long term, beyond the life of the present government, beyond the life of the present generations. Please, please do the right thing, rather than the expediant.
# 74:
8:02 am PDT, Oct 1,Marian Willekens, Belgium
# 73:
7:47 pm PDT, Sep 29,Harald Troedel, Australia
Save us all, leave Brown coal where it is.
We don't need the money from it anyway, we're smarter enough to export renewable technology that is good for everyone.
# 72:
10:09 pm PDT, Sep 28,Name not displayed, Australia
It is insanity of the highest order to export brown coal. We need to urgently transition out of coal altogether to renewable energy to give ourselves a chance of avoiding runaway climate change.
# 71:
6:31 pm PDT, Sep 28,Rob Campbell, Australia
# 70:
4:42 pm PDT, Sep 28,David Hall, Australia
Do we really want to be part of destroying our own habitat in the name of economic growth.
Thinking of the TRIPLE bottom line means that financial gain is nothing without promoting social and environmental wellbeing.
Exporting brown coal does not promote this triple bottom line.
# 69:
5:37 am PDT, Sep 28,Name not displayed, Australia
# 68:
11:36 pm PDT, Sep 27,Scott Bilby, Australia
Brown coal is used as steaming coal (or 'thermal' coal) to make electricity. Given that this is the single biggest contributor to human-caused global warming it is hypocritical that the Victorian Government could sanction these exports at the same time that they're trying to convince us that they're serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
# 67:
11:11 pm PDT, Sep 27,Zane Alcorn, Australia
No wonder they wanted to dredge the bay... it all makes sense now
# 66:
9:52 pm PDT, Sep 27,Mark Ogge, Australia
# 65:
3:21 pm PDT, Sep 27,Nadia Davidovich, Argentina
# 64:
12:53 am PDT, Sep 27,Ralph Xx, Germany
# 63:
10:32 pm PDT, Sep 26,Trudi Radabaugh, South Carolina
# 62:
8:54 pm PDT, Sep 26,Name not displayed, Australia
Stop it!
# 61:
1:35 pm PDT, Sep 25,Name not displayed, Greece
# 60:
3:54 pm PDT, Sep 24,Carl Rosenstock, Wisconsin
# 59:
5:14 am PDT, Sep 24,Eric Delaney, Australia
# 58:
4:43 am PDT, Sep 24,Karen Fagan, Canada
# 57:
3:24 am PDT, Sep 23,Anja Gundermann, Germany
# 56:
2:28 am PDT, Sep 23,Kristina Salgado, Arkansas
# 55:
9:51 pm PDT, Sep 22,Tibor Herskovits, Australia
# 54:
9:25 pm PDT, Sep 22,Hazel Seymour, Canada
# 53:
9:00 pm PDT, Sep 22,Mark Zappone, New Jersey
Please, we must put the environment first!
# 52:
11:25 am PDT, Sep 22,Rafael Pinho, Portugal
# 51:
11:16 am PDT, Sep 22,Name not displayed, Pennsylvania
