For those who don’t know, on March 15th, 2019, there was a global school strike for climate action. Across 110 countries, 1.5 million people set to the streets to let their voices be heard.
Australia is suffering from droughts, flash flooding, heat waves and other severe weather. Struck with harsh impacts of climate change, the youth have taken it upon themselves to stand up and fight back against their politicians who are blind to the facts.
One of the largest untapped coal reserves on the planet lies in Carmichael, Queensland near Townsville and Mackay, and mining giant Adani plans to break ground for a new mine. While some politicians are slow to pick a side, others have expressed support for the new mine despite the uproar it has caused among the citizens of Australia.
The Adani mine would have detrimental effects on the Great Barrier Reef and other environmental locations in Australia. This is the 21st century, and this shouldn’t have to be explained anymore, but fossil fuels, like coal, are the number one driver of climate change.
The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon into the atmosphere where it creates a greenhouse effect, trapping heat in the atmosphere. This trapping of heat is causing the average global temperatures to rise. A few degrees Celsius doesn’t seem like a whole lot when it comes to the weather, but when it comes to the climate it can be the difference between life and death for many ecosystems, like the Great Barrier Reef.
Part of the proposed plans for this new mine includes redeveloping a nearby port at Abbot Point for shipping the coal. To get this port ready for use, it would have to be dredged. Dredging is the removal of sediments on seabeds. This completely destroys the habitat of animals that depend on the seagrass beds for food and protection and has a lasting impact on water quality.
This port lies on the same coast as the Great Barrier Reef, a World Heritage site already suffering from climate change. Dredging would stir up fine particles of sediment into the open water, decreasing the water quality. For the coral in the Great Barrier Reef, that means smothering and the increase of disease.
Half of the Great Barrier Reef is already dead, with much of the rest continuing towards the same fate. Coral bleaching is caused by rising sea temperatures — which is caused by climate change which is caused by the burning of fossil fuels which is promoted by companies like Adani — that kill off the famous colorful algae that cover the corals.
This alga isn’t just good for visual aesthetic, it is vital for the corals to survive. Without the algae, the corals are left to starve. But the algae can come back, but only if the conditions surrounding the corals are favorable. Protecting our coral reefs means protecting the water around it and preventing further warming of the planet, in other words, stop Adani.
Adani is a greedy company that leaves destruction in their wake. The company has lied to the Australian Government about past history with poisoning water supplies, they have lied about the number of jobs and royalties the mine would provide, they have released polluted water into Abbot Point and the Great Barrier Reef and are currently being prosecuted for such actions. Not to mention, they are also being investigated for illegally starting work at the new mine. Adani can’t be trusted.
Many others are affected by the mine too, such as the indigenous Wangan and Jagalingou people. The mine’s railway will destroy the ancestral lands, waterways and cultural sites of these indigenous people. These people have denied Adani’s request for permission to build on these lands at least four times, but Adani has moved forward and said they will build without their permission.
The proposed mine site is also home to the endangered species of southern black-throated finch. The species has a limited habitat having already lost 80 percent of it in just the last 20 years. The Carmichael mine site is prime habitat for this species, but Adani plans to move the population to a nearby site. This would cause fragmentation to their habitat and further compromise their chances of survival.
Adani has disrespected the indigenous people and has disrespected the environment. The motivations behind their actions are nothing short of greed, and they clearly don’t care who suffers for it.
One curly-haired youth speaker put it best when she said, “They treat the planet like a bank, but it’s not a bank. If it were a bank, it would have been saved by now.”
For the sake of the future generations that will have to live with the mistakes of this generation…
Save the planet. Stop Adani.
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