Science falls prey to politics

Today the Queensland Government stomped on scientific rigour to appease the coal industry. The approval of Adani’s groundwater management plan represents the most blatant caving in of a government as science gets thrown out the window in favour of political convenience.

“In a clear signal of the weakness of our laws to protect the environment, the Queensland Government has failed everyone who values the freshwater resources of the state and beyond. Two weeks ago the government signed the death warrant of the endangered black-throated finch. Today, as the state remains in drought, they have given up on any pretence to protect the environment,” stated Glen Klatovsky, CEO of 350 Australia.

The Adani mine is the first of many proposed new coal mines in the Galilee Basin, an as-yet unexploited coal basin that sits above some of the most important groundwater resources in the country. Not only is the approval of the Adani mine’s Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems Management Plan a fraught travesty of political convenience, but it also bodes very poorly as the cumulative damage of many other prospective mines is not even considered.

“The Adani coal mine is simply not in the best interests of Queensland or Australia. We need better protection and science-based decision making instead of political buck-passing and capitulation to the miners,” concluded Mr Klatovsky.

For interviews: Glen Klatovsky, acting CEO, 350 Australia on 0410 482 243.

Authorised by Glen Klatovsky, CEO, 350 Australia, Sydney. Correspondence in regard to any authorised material can be sent to: glen@350.org.au.