Townsville Bulletin

Clearing air on mine facts

- STEVEN WARDILL

THE Carmichael coal mine will produce 10 times less emissions in Australia than Woolworths.

Despite the frenzied campaign against the project, new analysis shows the scaledback version of the mine will produce far less emissions than many of Australia’s leading companies.

It comes as school children around the country will be encouraged today to walk out of classrooms in protest over a lack of action on climate change. Adani’s Galilee Basin project will be a prime target of the protest.

The Palaszczuk Government has stalled the mine’s final approval after ordering a last-minute review into the Carmichael mine’s management plan for the endangered black-throated finch.

Figures contained in Adani’s Environmen­tal Impact Statement indicate the Carmichael mine will produce 0.24 million tonnes of emis- sions annually, about 0.04 per cent of Australia’s emissions.

This includes emissions generated both on and off the mine site in Australia when it is operating at its proposed 10 million tonnes per annum production rate.

Clean Energy Regulator figures show supermarke­t giant Woolworths produced 2.7 million tonnes in 2017-18 while Qantas produced 4.4 million.

The University of Melbourne, which employs the professor leading the finch review, produced 0.14 million tonnes.

The Carmichael mine’s emissions jump to 12.9 million tonnes when the figures include those produced in India from burning the coal to create electricit­y.

However, this is far less than less than the 19 million tonnes produced by Queensland Government-owned electricit­y generator Stanwell last year and the 43 million tonnes produced by AGL.

An Adani spokeswoma­n said the debate about coal needed “facts not fearmonger­ing”.

“We recognise that people have differing opinions on mining thermal coal and the Carmichael project, however, it is important that they have the facts before joining a protest,” she said.

The spokeswoma­n said if the Carmichael mine did not proceed, India would be forced to turn to Indonesia where the coal produces 28 per cent more emissions.

WE RECOGNISE THAT PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERING OPINIONS ON MINING THERMAL COAL AND THE CARMICHAEL PROJECT, HOWEVER IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THEY HAVE THE FACTS BEFORE JOINING A PROTEST. ADANI SPOKESWOMA­N

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