Press release – 28 May, 2017Community members and Greenpeace have occupied the world’s largest coal port in Newcastle as members of the public put their coal-covered clothes out to highlight the serious health and climate impacts of the Commonwealth Bank’s lending policies.The group today unveiled a 75 x 25m banner over stockpiles at the Newcastle Coal Port to send a message directly to the Commonwealth Bank that “CommBank’s coal kills”.
CommBank loaned $310 million to the port in 2014 as the mandated lead arranger of a $1.2 billion banking syndicate [1] and according to research by Market Forces they are also the largest Australian lender to fossil fuels in 2016[2].
“People know that coal is a dirty, polluting fossil fuel that is driving climate change and damaging our environment,” Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner Nikola Casule said.
“Communities in the Hunter Valley and beyond are already bearing the brunt of the immediate health costs that are an inevitable byproduct of this industry.
“Coal mining damages the lungs not only of the people who mine it, but also the health of the people living in communities where the mines and coal terminals are located.
“By investing in more coal in the Hunter region, the Commonwealth Bank is standing in the way of a just transition for these communities.”
This year’s National Pollutant Inventory [3], released at the end of March, revealed coal-related pollutants at mines, power plants and export facilities continue to rise.
These particulates can spur premature death by worsening existing heart and lung conditions and include thousands of tonnes of fine particulates smaller than 2.5 micrometres – about 1/30th the width of a human hair – so fine that they can enter the bloodstream.
Coarse particulates (PM10) emitted by Newcastle’s three coal terminals also rose 25 per cent last year, much faster than the increase of about 10 per cent in coal volumes.
PM10 pollution at the Kooragang terminal has risen by 48 per cent in the past three years.
“Coal mining produces dangerous particulate pollution that has direct health impacts on the population in addition to coal’s contribution to global warming and climate change,” Climate Epidemiologist with Queensland University of Technology Professor Hilary Bambrick said.
“There are 3000 respiratory deaths caused by particulate air pollution each year in Australia, and many of these are caused by coal dust.”
Greenpeace is calling on the Commonwealth Bank to immediately rule out involvement in new coal projects in Australia, as the first step towards a decarbonisation of its lending portfolio.
The Bank is due to release a new policy on climate change in August.
Nicola Bowskill is a local resident who lives near the rail line supplying the Newcastle Port and is about to have her first child.
“My daughter will be born in the world largest coal port and she will live daily with local impacts of the industry such coal dust,” Ms Bowskill said.
“But far more serious and frightening in her future is the unsafe, extreme climate we’re hurtling towards.
“She faces a dramatically different future than I did. If this current lack of action on climate change continues, she will have to deal with serious social and environmental collapse.”
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
[1] https://tradefinanceanalytics.com/articles/3342221/exclusive-ncig-signs-12bn-combo-facility
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/mar/06/big-australian-banks-invest-7bn-more-in-fossil-fuels-than- renewables-says-report
[3] http://npi.gov.au/npi-data/search-npi-data
For interviews contact:
Simon Black
Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner
0418 219 086 /