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Exporting brown coal is the stupidest idea we’ve ever heard of
Unfortunately, a number of companies are now lobbying the Victorian Government for approvals and funding to set up a new brown coal export industry in Victoria to ship polluting brown coal to the developing world. Most recently Exergen told a State Parliamentary Inquiry that they want a coal allocation to develop a new ‘super-mine’ in the Latrobe Valley.
Exergen and others are arguing for a government allocation of more coal in 2012 – 13 billion tonnes more. That would take the total amount of coal allocated in the Latrobe Valley alone to 41 billion tonnes. If all of that coal was burnt, it would create 40 billion tonnes of CO2. That’s the equivalent of:
- 333 years worth of Victoria’s emissions
- 73 years worth of Australia’s emissions
- 25 years worth of India’s emissions
- 8 years worth of the US’s emissions *
- 5 years worth of China’s emissions *
And that’s just Latrobe Valley coal! It doesn’t include coal reserves being explored near Bacchus Marsh or throughout Gippsland beyond the Latrobe Valley.
This is a big deal. What happens to Victoria’s coal reserve will have a serious impact on global emissions and climate change. That’s why we need to keep it in the ground.
Environment Victoria spearheaded a strong community campaign against this proposal in late 2009, and we won, at least for a couple of years. But that doesn’t mean this dumb idea won’t end up back on the table. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this one, so stay tuned for more.
Check out who wants to export coal at CoalWatch projects on the agenda
Check out the details from our last big win against Exergen
Check out what happened in the campaign against exporting coal
Check out what happened last time the State Government allocated coal back in 2002
When the government threatened to start exporting coal in 2009, we got busy. This confidential government report shows that the government's own consultants advised against further coal handouts. Read the Near Zero Emissions from Latrobe Valley Brown Coal, Final Report
