Late on a Friday evening, just a couple of weeks ago, Australia’s federal environment minister quietly waved through a coalmine extension that will outlive most of us.
The Gregory Crinum coalmine in Queensland’s Bowen Basin now has a green light to operate for another 50 years, until 2073. The extra coal, when burnt, will add about 31m tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere once it is burned. That equates to 6% of Australia’s annual emissions.
