Tell Australia: Coal and Coral Don't Mix
Like most countries throughout the world, Australia can't seem to curb its fossil fuel addiction. But unlike many places, Australia is also home to one of the Earth's few remaining biodiversity hotspots -- the Great Barrier Reef.
If the country continues on its current trajectory, having now approved four natural gas terminals and a huge coal-shipping terminal within the boundaries of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, the potential losses to the area's wildlife are tremendous. Construction of these facilities requires massive dredging, dumping and shipping across the reef, muddying the waters and threatening endangered dugongs, sea turtles and whales.
We need your help. The Abbot Point coal port is being built to service a massive coal mine proposed in Australia's interior. And if built, aside from releasing up to 128 million tons of CO2, the Carmichael mine and the infrastructure it would entail would make further destruction of the reef inevitable.
Take action today -- tell Australia's environmental minister to say no to the mine and protect the Great Barrier Reef from a death by a thousand exports.
Hon. Greg Hunt MP:
I am writing to express my frustration and extreme concern over Australia's ongoing development of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world's most precious ecological treasures. Unparalleled in its biodiversity, the reef and its many rare and endangered species deserve only the highest protection.
[Your comment will be added here]
And yet Australia has now approved four liquefied natural gas facilities in Gladstone and a coal terminal at Abbot Point. These projects require massive dredging, dumping and shipping -- threatening the reef's already endangered dugongs, sea turtles and whales, as well as the thousands of lesser-known species that depend on that famously clean and clear water.
The Department of Environment has an opportunity to stem this destructive development by denying final approval of the Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin. This massive mine will not only result in huge greenhouse gas emissions -- estimated at 128 metric tons of CO2 when the coal is burned -- but it also requires the proposed coal port expansion at Abbot Point.
Australia is lucky to have an incredible ecological jewel in its waters. But this comes with a special duty to safeguard the reef. Please -- I urge you to deny approval of the Carmichael mine and say no to the continued destruction of the Great Barrier Reef.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
