Press release – 10 March, 2015Brisbane, 11 March 2015: New revised plans to dredge a million tonnes of seafloor in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area remain unacceptable, Greenpeace says.A new plan to expand the Abbot Point Coal Port announced by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk proposed to dumped dredge spoil on land on the site known as T2, adjacent to the existing coal terminal.
“This new proposal, though better than plans to dump dredge waste in the Caley Valley wetlands or the World Heritage Area, is still unacceptable. Coal mining is the biggest threat to the Reef and is fuelling climate change. Any new proposal to pave the way for more coal mining is simply offensive,” said Greenpeace Reef campaigner Shani Tager.
“This massive port expansion will still require ripping up a million tonnes of seafloor and the creation of a super highway of coal ships through the heart of the Great Barrier Reef.
“Premier Palaszczuk’s plans will pave the way for construction of up to nine new coal mines, accelerating climate change and ocean acidification – processes that will turn the Great Barrier Reef into a coral graveyard.”
Leading up to the recent Queensland election, the Palaszczuk Government promised to delay the controversial expansion of Abbot Point Coal Port until Indian coal company Adani has secured the finance for its $16.5 billion plan to build Australia’s largest ever coal mine, rail and a new coal terminal at Abbot Point.
Many observers are questioning the need for the coal port expansions in the first place. A
recent publication by Goldman Sachs
advised investors to steer clear of new coal projects, citing a downturn in demand as China moves to cap its emissions. As coal prices continue at an eight-year low, financial analysts fear Abbot Point coal port will become a stranded asset.
“Why build a destructive coal port on the Reef that isn’t needed?” asked Tager.
“As China and the US move away from fossil fuels, Abbot Point will become redundant and we’ll be stuck with an industrial wasteland on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef,” Tager concluded.
Video footage and photographs of Abbot Point terminal available here:
www.greenpeacemedia.org
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For images or more information, contact: Elsa Evers 0438 204 041 or Shani Tager 0432 050 809