Climate activists vow to maintain combating after a court docket dismissed their bid to cease a coal mine extension that might generate the equal of Australia’s whole annual carbon dioxide emissions.
Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action says the Land and Environment Court judgment in favour of Whitehaven’s Narrabri coal mine growth in NSW was “out of step with community expectations”.
“Approving high-emitting projects is exposing communities to more extreme impacts from climate change,” spokeswoman Fiona Lee mentioned on Wednesday.
“We have a moral obligation as climate survivors to challenge dangerous and polluting planning decisions that are not in the public interest, to try and prevent other people from going through what we’ve endured.”
Including Scope 3 emissions – greenhouse gases generated when the coal is burned in different international locations – the growth is anticipated to provide 480 metric tonnes of CO2 equal, roughly equal to Australia’s whole greenhouse gasoline emissions in 2022.
Justice Sandra Duggan threw out the applicant’s declare that the Independent Planning Commission’s approval was legally unreasonable, discovering it was “within the bounds of the IPC’s decision-making power”.
Elaine Johnson, director of authorized technique on the Environmental Defenders Office which represented the local weather motion group, mentioned the case demonstrates planning legal guidelines want pressing modification.
“The IPC heard that more than 30 people died during the Black Summer bushfires, some 3000 people lost their homes, and more than 400 people lost their lives in the immediate aftermath due to smoke inhalation,” she mentioned.
“Yet the commission still made the very dangerous decision to approve a further coal expansion in NSW on the basis that the mine was in the ‘public interest’.”
The group says it’s fastidiously contemplating the court docket’s judgment.
Whitehaven welcomed the judgment in an announcement filed with the Australian Stock Exchange.
“Our consistent position has been that this legal claim was without merit,” it mentioned.
“High-quality thermal coal has an important role to play in providing energy security during the decarbonisation transition.”
Conservation group Environment Council of Central Queensland has mounted a authorized problem within the Federal Court to the federal setting minister’s approval of the challenge.
Whitehaven has joined the proceedings in assist of Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s case, which is because of be heard in September.
Shares in Whitehaven Coal had been buying and selling down 1.2 per cent at 3.30pm AEST on Wednesday.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
