Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore poses for a photo ahead of the release of "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power" on July 10, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. Photo/Getty Images
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore poses for a photo ahead of the release of "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power" on July 10, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. Photo/Getty Images
Former United States Vice President Al Gore has a message from our Prime Minister: "Malcolm, don't build the mine."
He is, of course, referring to the government's plan to allow Indian mining conglomerate Adani to build a mega-mine in North Queensland known as the Carmichael coal mining project.
Gore is in Australia ahead of the release of An Inconvenient Sequel, the follow up to his Oscar-winning 2006 documentary on global warming.
The movie follows Gore as he travels the world giving his famous power point presentation and meeting politicians while championing the need for renewable energy sources to replace fossil fuels.
When asked by news.com.au if he'd ever tried to persuade the Australian government from pursuing the controversial mining project, he seized the opportunity.
"Well if he's watching, Malcolm don't build the mine," he said. "That's a direct way to do it."
Critics and environmental groups opposed to the mine have raised concerns that the extra coal exports may damage the Great Barrier Reef as the terminal is located on the coastline of the heritage area. And it's a danger the former Vice President said amounted to a grim choice.
"I'll just put it this way, if you had a choice between a huge new coal mine or the Great Barrier Reef, which would you choose?
While Australia's big banks backed away from helping fund the project, for both business and environmental reasons, last month Adani announced its board had given final investment approval for the Carmichael mine.
However this week the ABC obtained the plan of operations document for the project recently submitted to the Queensland Government, which reportedly raised further questions over the financial validity of the project.
The plan covers the next six months of the project but includes practically no activity other than maintaining the site.
"It only really commits Adani to maintaining the existing temporary camp and looking after the signs and roads," activist Rick Humphries from the Lock the Gate Alliance told the ABC.
He called it a "major embarrassment" for Turnbull and the Premier of Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk who have backed the mine.
However Adani's spokesman in Australia, Ron Watson, said the company expects to have the financing confirmed by the end of the year.
Citizens from Pine Rivers block large trucks entering Downer's asphalt plant in Brendale in protest to the company's involvement with the Adani coal mine. Photo/News Corp Australia
Malcolm at odds with constituents
Malcolm Turnbull may support the building of the mine but his constituents don't.
The Prime Minister's electoral constituents and those of six of his senior ministers overwhelmingly oppose taxpayers subsidising the planned Adani coal mine in Queensland, according to polling conducted by ReachTEL for the left-leaning think tank The Australia Institute.
The survey also found more voters support a ban on new coal mines than would oppose one.
The government's Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility is considering whether to grant Indian company Adani a $900 million loan to build a rail line to its Carmichael mine.
Pollsters surveyed people in Wentworth (Mr Turnbull's seat), Cook (Scott Morrison), Curtin (Julie Bishop), Dickson (Peter Dutton), Flinders (Greg Hunt), Kooyong (Josh Frydenberg) and Sturt (Christopher Pyne).
Results showed on average 62.5 per cent opposed any government loan for the rail link.
Fewer than one in four people were in favour of a loan, with support highest among voters in Dutton's Brisbane electorate, the only Queensland seat surveyed.
The project has divided much of Queensland with memebers within both the Federal and state Labor parties at odds on the issue.
In a statement today, the Palaszczuk government detailed a target of zero net carbon emissions by 2050, mirroring goals set by other states.
The statement deftly avoided mentioning Adani's proposed mega coalmine while announcing plans to slash carbon emissions and help protect the Great Barrier Reef from the ravages of climate change.''
The jobs are in renewables
The Coalition government has previously claimed the mine will provide 10,000 jobs for the state of Queensland. However other reports put that number as low as 1,464 - something that was confirmed by an Adani expert in court.
Union leaders and regional mayors in Queensland as well as the Labor state government have also thrown their support behind the project in a bid to support jobs. However critics, including Gore, say the real jobs growth is in renewables.
In the US, renewable energy jobs are growing at 12 times the rate of the country's economy, according to a report released this year by the Environmental Defence Fund organisation. Wind turbine technician is the fastest growing profession in the country, the report claims.
"The economic case for renewables is already winning the day," Gore told news.com.au.
"Not only because the electricity is becoming cheaper in so many places and will soon be cheaper everywhere. But also because it creates more jobs," Gore said.
Regardless of the mine, Turnbull reaffirmed Australia's commitment to the Paris Climate Accord at last week's G20 meeting in Germany - something that brought praise from the former vice president.
"Australia, for all the discussion, is continuing to move in the right direction," he said.
