Premier backs coal trifecta but dangerous climate change will win |
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According to Queensland Conservation (QCC), the Premier’s plan to boost coal exports from the Bowen, Surat and Galilee basins, open up new coal mines and build rail and port infrastructure begs the question - what are the greenhouse implications for Queensland?
‘We challenge the Premier to reveal today what the emissions from these proposals are?’ said Hutcheon. Queensland is the highest greenhouse gas polluting State in Australia. Given Australia’s high per capita emissions, this probably means that Queensland per capita emissions are the biggest on the planet. Queensland is the most vulnerable state in Australia to the impacts of climate change. Those impacts will threaten the Great Barrier Reef, agricultural lands, dramatically change rainfall patterns and increase extreme weather events. ‘The Premier has referenced the 2,200 job gains in the coal industry as a result of this expansion, what about the 65,000 jobs in tourism and the over 35,000 jobs in primary industries? What happens to those communities when the affects of climate change kill their industries?’ said Hutcheon. ‘Its time for the Premier to announce her plans to reduce Queensland emissions, not dramatically increase them,’ said Hutcheon. |