Warkworth coal mine approval demonstrates Baird’s climate negligence

Warkworth panorama close up

MEDIA RELEASE - 22 October 2015

The Greens NSW mining spokesperson Jeremy Buckingham today condemned the recommended approval of the 230 million tonne expansion of the Warkworth coal mine in the Hunter Valley, saying the Baird Government was negligent to allow the coal industry to expand in the face of climate change.

“While Mike Baird clowns around on social media, his government has approved a massive coal mine expansion in the face of climate change,” said Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.

“It’s culpable negligence to expand the thermal coal industry in the face of climate change.

“Mike Baird has made NSW a pariah state as the world gathers in Paris to deal with the climate crisis.

“Coal is in structural decline while the need for action on climate change grows more urgent, yet the NSW government has no strategy to transition from coal to renewable energy.

“The NSW Government has colluded with Rio Tinto to shepherd this mine expansion and bear responsibility for the destruction of the community of Bulga and the unique Warkworth Sand environment.

“This expansion also represents a betrayal of Rio Tinto’s original commitment not to mine beyond the ridgeline and demonstrates that the coal industry cannot be trusted and are motivated by profit to the point where they are pushing a product they know is destroying the climate with massive repercussions for the global economy and society.”

 

5 comments

  • i know we have been protesting to date. Is there anything more we can do to stop this & what can I do? Thx

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  • This is why I vote for greens !

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  • This is why I vote for greens

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  • Carolyn MacGregor

    When will politicians get it CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL…..it will destroy our world if we do not do something about it …namely STOP MINING COAL.

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  • What else would one expect with governments that have shit for brains and very happy to live without them, Governments are out to collect as much revenue as possible, while the world economy is gathering pace for self destruction, this has been predicted for the last three years. The other thing here is if they used this money to reduce debt with every cent they collected from royalties, then something would be achieved but no they will splash every cent trying to convince the Australian people what a great job they are doing, when all they really do is keep blowing the budgets out further every year, they cannot manage money.

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