Coal giant Adani is commencing its first exports of coal from the Carmichael mine. Adani says the first coal for export is “being assembled” at its coal port in Bowen, the North Queensland Export Terminal. Adani plans for the mine to be Australia’s biggest, but has faced 10 years of opposition from Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners and climate campaigners. Just six weeks after the Glasgow climate summit, where the world agreed to phase down coal, Australia is opening the world’s biggest new coal basin, the Galilee Basin in Queensland. 

New photos/footage of Adani’s mine and audio grabs from spokespeople is available here. 

A fact sheet on the Adani Carmichael mine and the #StopAdani campaign is available here.

Joseph Sikulu, 350.org Pacific Coordinator, recently returned from UN COP26, says

"Just last month I was at the Glasgow climate summit when global governments pledged to phase down coal. Adani is doing the opposite of this agreement. Adani and the Governments who enabled them are throwing a wrecking ball at global efforts to protect the Pacific from the impacts of climate change. But we won't let them, we stand in solidarity with the Wangan and Jagalingou people. 

We are in the fight of our lives to stop dangerous climate change. We simply cannot afford for Adani's mine to expand to 60 million tonnes per year. We will fight to keep every single tonne of coal in the ground where it belongs". 

Julien Vincent, Executive Director of Market Forces says 

“People power has kept tens of millions of tonnes of Adani’s coal in the ground. We’ll keep fighting to prevent as much climate-wrecking coal from being mined and burned by Adani as we can. 

“At this point in the climate crisis, every tonne of coal counts if we are to avoid catastrophic climate impacts like mega fires and superstorms. Adani plans to pour fuel on the fire, continuing to build the Carmichael mine to be Australia’s biggest, as well as new coal mines and plants overseas. 

“We’re so close to denying Adani a critical source of finance it needs to be able to keep running the Carmichael mine: insurance. Over 100 companies have walked away from this disastrous project so far. If we keep pushing, we can stop it, permanently. 

Dr Lissa Schindler, Great Barrier Reef campaign manager, Australian Marine Conservation Society says

“The first coal from the Adani mine is symbolic of where Australia stands on climate action - dead last. With this first coal transport, Adani is as flagrant as the Morrison Government in its disregard of global agreement to phase down coal to tackle the climate crisis and its catastrophic impacts on precious environments like the Reef.

"We will keep fighting to ensure every tonne of coal associated with this project stays in the ground. Burning of coal drives global heating leading to disastrous events like the three mass coral bleachings the Great Barrier Reef has experienced in recent years.

“The science shows every fraction of a degree of warming we avoid helps our Reef, the livelihoods of those in the tourism industry, and the marine wildlife that depend on a healthy Reef.”

Professor John Quiggin, Professor of Economics at the University of Queensland says

“The fight to stop Adani’s Carmichael mine is part of a larger struggle to prevent the extraction of the massive coal deposits under the Galilee Basin. If fully extracted, the 27 billion tonnes of coal in the Basin would generate several years worth of emissions for the entire world.”

“Although Adani has managed to begin exports of coal, the broader struggle has had some big successes. Adani has had to scale its project back because no bank in the world is willing to finance it because of concerns about climate change. Other coal projects in the Galilee Basin have been abandoned or put on hold. With the end of most financing for new coal mines and coal-fired power stations, it seems unlikely that any of these will proceed.

“However, big threats remain. Adani has not abandoned an expansion of its mine to extract it’s approved volumes of 60 million tonnes of coal each year and this coal must stay in the ground to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change. 

Dr Selina Ward, coral reef scientist, University of Queensland says

“This is a sad day for the Great Barrier Reef – a sad day for Australia and one we have dreaded. As the rest of the world pulls away from coal and recognises the urgent need to reduce emissions, our government pushes forward with the worst fossil fuel.

“We have had three huge bleaching events on the GBR in the past six years. More frequent marine heat waves are inevitable as we increase emissions and reefs will not have time to recover between these events, so mortality will continue. The best way to increase loss of the GBR is to continue to keep digging up and burning coal. Australia has 60,000 jobs and $6 billion a year from the Great Barrier Reef. Is persisting with new coal mines worth this?”