Australia closes coal mine to protect Great Barrier Reef

The open pit mine would have been located just 10km from the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland

For the first time in history, Australia has blocked the construction of a coal mine through environmental laws.

The government on Thursday rejected a proposal for a new mine some 10 km (6.2 miles) from the Great Barrier Reef.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the project posed an unacceptable risk to the already highly endangered World Heritage area.

The mine’s owner, controversial Australian billionaire Clive Palmer, has yet to respond to the refusal.

His company, Central Queensland Coal, had proposed building an open pit mine about 700 km northwest of Brisbane that would produce both thermal and coking coal and operate for about 20 years.

Ms. Plibersek hinted last year that the federal government could block the mine. After it was released to the public, her department received more than 9,000 submissions in 10 days – the majority calling for the project to be stopped.

The Great Barrier Reef – the world’s largest coral reef system – has suffered four mass bleaching events in the past six years due to rising sea temperatures and its outlook is “very poor”, authorities say.

The Queensland state government last year also recommended that its federal counterparts reject the proposal, saying the environmental risks were “significant”.

Minister Plibersek’s department agreed that finding sediment and runoff from the open pit would likely damage the reef and local water resources.

“I have come to the conclusion that the negative impact on the environment is simply too great,” the minister said in a video statement on Wednesday.

While state governments have already rejected proposals, it is the first time a federal environment minister has used his powers to do so.

Australia’s Labor government, elected in May, has come under pressure from some quarters to block future coal and gas exploration projects.

The country can’t help stop catastrophic climate change — or keep global warming below 1.5°C rises this century — if it allows new mines, say environmentalists like the Green Party.

Australia is a major global supplier of fossil fuels. If you add exports, the country produces 3.6% of the world’s emissions, but only 0.3% of the world’s population.

While the new government has significantly increased Australia’s emissions reduction target for 2030, it has also announced that it will approve any new fossil fuel projects that make economic sense.

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