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Articles on Galilee Basin

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Coal mines, such as this one near Bowen, use water for everything from equipment cooling to dust management. CSIRO

Why does the Carmichael coal mine need to use so much water?

Adani’s controversial Carmichael coal mine in Queensland’s Galilee Basin has been granted an unlimited 60-year water licence. But a range of measures could help the industry use less freshwater.
Abbot Point port would have to be expanded to ship coal from the proposed new mine. AAP Image/Greenpeace

Four environmental reasons why fast-tracking the Carmichael coal mine is a bad idea

Queensland’s planned new coal mine could impact the climate, the Great Barrier Reef, water, and local species. Yet still it has been declared as ‘critical infrastructure’ by the state government.
Indian entrepreneur Gautam Adani, (pictured with former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and Martin Ferguson) has risen from a modest beginning to become one of India’s most powerful businessmen. AAP/Graham Crouch

Does Gautam Adani really need Galilee Basin coal?

The court decision to halt the Carmichael mine is a setback for Indian billionaire Gautam Adani - but does he really need the coal mine at all?
The ornamental snake - one of the two species that the federal government failed to account for when approving the Carmichael mine. Stewart Macdonald/Wikimedia

Adani court case leaves the climate change question unanswered

The Federal Court has overturned federal environmental approval of the A$16.5 billion Adani’s coal mine project in central Queensland.
While many people in India live without electricity, it is looking less likely that Australian coal will supply it. Environmental Change and Security Program/Flickr

The case for Australian coal in India is weakening

“India needs Australian coal” is a view promoted by government and industry alike. But is there really a case for Australian coal in India? The evidence suggests not.
The new Reef 2050 plan is taking the long view on protecting the Great Barrier Reef - but does it have the right vision? Nickj/Wikimedia Commons

Government unveils 2050 Great Barrier Reef plan: experts react

The federal and Queensland governments have unveiled their blueprint for protecting the Great Barrier Reef for future generations. Will the $2 billion plan succeed? Our experts give their verdicts.
Should coal projects be held responsible for the greenhouse emissions that flow from their product, even if it’s burned on another continent? CSIRO/Wikimedia Commons

Court challenge will test coal mining’s climate culpability

A new legal challenge to the proposed Carmichael coal mine – Australia’s largest – will test in the federal court whether climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions should be taken into account…
Queensland’s cuts to water red tape could leave outback bores high and dry. kdliss/Wikimedia Commons

Queensland risks running the well dry by gifting water to coal

On Wednesday, Queensland’s parliament passed water reform legislation that will make it easier to take and use water, particularly for large mining and agriculture projects. The state government also recently…
The Saraji coal mine in the Bowen coal basin produces around 5 million tonnes of coal each year. Adani’s Carmichael mine could produce up to 60 million. Image Library/Flickr

Carmichael mine is a game-changer for Australian coal

The Carmichael coal project, approved this week by environment minister Greg Hunt, is unprecedented in its scale, and also represents a significant shift in Australia’s coal industry. If the mine goes…
The Alpha Coal Project in Queensland’s Galilee coal basin. The Carmichael project is the second to be approved in the region. Lock the Gate Alliance

Approval of Australia’s largest coal mine ignores climate and water

Australia’s biggest coal mine, the Carmichael Coal and Rail Project, yesterday received the go-ahead from the federal government. Environment minister Greg Hunt approved the mine, proposed by Indian coal…
Greg Hunt, and all environment ministers past and future, could be protected from legal challenge over mining approvals. AAP Image/Alan Porritt

Australia’s environment minister could soon be above the law

Earlier this month, a Senate inquiry paved the way for the Parliament to give Environment Minister Greg Hunt legal immunity against future legal challenges to his decisions on mining projects. If it passes…
The lack of transparency for the economic modelling of the Galilee Coal Project means the public must rely on the word of Waratah Coal. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Can we trust Clive? Commercial-in-confidence coal mines

Clive Palmer’s Waratah Coal claims its Galilee Coal Project, which will create four underground mines, two open-cut mines, and 468 kilometres of railway line in central Queensland, will bring economic…
Will the opening of the Galilee Basin undermine Queensland’s economic and environmental future? AAP

Why the Galilee Basin is worth worrying about

The Galilee Basin is a massive Queensland coal basin on the verge of being opened up for the first time. If it goes ahead as anticipated, there will be a host of significant impacts ranging from the local…

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