 |
*JUST IN: GAME-CHANGING LEGAL DECISION ON
COAL*
As we sat awaiting the verdict, the tension was palpable.
But then - euphoria swept across the courtroom.
In an Australian first, the NSW Land and Environment Court this morning rejected the Rocky Hill coal mine near Gloucester, on social and climate change grounds.
The court has effectively ruled that coal – just like tobacco and asbestos – is bad for us.
Significantly, the court ruled that a new coal mine would increase greenhouse gas pollution when what is needed to meet the Paris Climate Agreement commitments “is a rapid and deep decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.”
The chief judge of the court announced that the proposed mine was “in the wrong place, at the wrong time,” and we couldn’t agree more. In fact, there is no place for any new fossil fuel projects.
Our own Climate Councillor, Prof Will Steffen, gave expert evidence in the hearing, providing compelling statements about the climate change implications of the mine. This is the first time in Australian legal history that a court has considered the global carbon budget, climate impacts and the Paris climate targets.
As Will testified, “Most of the world’s existing fossil fuel reserves – coal, oil and gas – must be left in the ground, unburned, if the Paris accord climate targets are to be met.”
This outcome is a game-changer and a huge win for Groundswell Gloucester and the Environmental Defenders Office of NSW who argued on their behalf. Today, the law now confirms what the science has been saying for a long time.
As Will explained today, “This landmark decision sends a clear message to the fossil fuel industry that it cannot continue to expand if we are serious about tackling climate change.”
In years to come, I’m sure we’ll look back at this moment and see it as an important crossroads: a significant point in the shift to clean, reliable, renewable energy.
The tide is turning.
Dr Annika DeanSenior Researcher
Climate Council.org.au
No comments:
Post a Comment