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Clearly he is a coal industry puppet fuelling climate chaos rather than the climate change hero he sees himself as.
The mocking protest took place on 28 August at the NSW parliament steps as activists manipulated a life size Iemma puppet.
The protest was in response to the government's consideration of the proposed Anvil Hill coal mine and third export coal loader at Newcastle. The environmental assessments of both projects have been released for public comment. Nowhere in these documents is there any assessment of the climate implications of the projects, which will help drive a massive increase in NSW’s coal exports.
The proposed mine will produce up to 10.5 million tonnes of coal a year. When burnt, this will produce greenhouse gas emissions greater than the emissions from NSW’s entire transport sector.
The new loader will increase NSW’s coal exports by 66 million tonnes a year – twice the amount used by NSW in a year. As a result of this and other expansions, Newcastle (already the world’s largest coal export port) will grow from 80 million tonnes a year capacity to 166 million tonnes a year.
However, at no stage in the approvals process for these two projects will the broader climate implications be considered. Bizarrely, both projects must include a plan addressing the small amount of greenhouse gases produced during the proposed mine’s operation, but can ignore the massive amounts of greenhouse gases that will be produced from the burning of the coal it exports.
Greenpeace climate campaigner Ben Pearson said: "The government is saying is that once Australian coal has left Newcastle we are not responsible for the emissions that will be produced from burning it. Yet the climate chaos that it will fuel will be an environmental, social and economic disaster for NSW.
“If the Premier was serious about addressing climate change he would reject Anvil Hill and the new coal loader and introduce a moratorium on new coal projects in NSW, otherwise NSW will be fuelling its greatest future threat.”
There are viable energy alternatives for both power and export revenues – this has been recognised by the Victorian and SA governments that are legislating targets for renewable energy. In NSW, a target of 15 per cent renewables by 2012 and 25 per cent by 2020 could see more than $3 billion of investment, 2,000 jobs and 1500mw of clean energy.
Greenpeace and other environment groups are calling for an immediate moratorium on new coal projects in NSW and a legislated state renewable energy target of 15 per cent by 2012.
The mocking protest took place on 28 August at the NSW parliament steps as activists manipulated a life size Iemma puppet.
The protest was in response to the government's consideration of the proposed Anvil Hill coal mine and third export coal loader at Newcastle. The environmental assessments of both projects have been released for public comment. Nowhere in these documents is there any assessment of the climate implications of the projects, which will help drive a massive increase in NSW’s coal exports.
The proposed mine will produce up to 10.5 million tonnes of coal a year. When burnt, this will produce greenhouse gas emissions greater than the emissions from NSW’s entire transport sector.
The new loader will increase NSW’s coal exports by 66 million tonnes a year – twice the amount used by NSW in a year. As a result of this and other expansions, Newcastle (already the world’s largest coal export port) will grow from 80 million tonnes a year capacity to 166 million tonnes a year.
However, at no stage in the approvals process for these two projects will the broader climate implications be considered. Bizarrely, both projects must include a plan addressing the small amount of greenhouse gases produced during the proposed mine’s operation, but can ignore the massive amounts of greenhouse gases that will be produced from the burning of the coal it exports.
Greenpeace climate campaigner Ben Pearson said: "The government is saying is that once Australian coal has left Newcastle we are not responsible for the emissions that will be produced from burning it. Yet the climate chaos that it will fuel will be an environmental, social and economic disaster for NSW.
“If the Premier was serious about addressing climate change he would reject Anvil Hill and the new coal loader and introduce a moratorium on new coal projects in NSW, otherwise NSW will be fuelling its greatest future threat.”
There are viable energy alternatives for both power and export revenues – this has been recognised by the Victorian and SA governments that are legislating targets for renewable energy. In NSW, a target of 15 per cent renewables by 2012 and 25 per cent by 2020 could see more than $3 billion of investment, 2,000 jobs and 1500mw of clean energy.
Greenpeace and other environment groups are calling for an immediate moratorium on new coal projects in NSW and a legislated state renewable energy target of 15 per cent by 2012.
Take action: make a submission calling on the NSW government to reject both projects.
