22 July 2008 - Queensland,
Australia — A world renowned coral reef
scientist Dr. Charlie Veron joined Greenpeace
activists underwater to make a bold statement
against the shale oil industry and for the
protection of the Great Barrier Reef from
climate change.
Formerly the chief scientist
for the Australian Institute of Marine Science,
Dr. Veron joined divers from our ship the
Esperanza to highlight the combined threats
to the reefs future coming from coal fired
power stations and shale oil exploitation:
"By mid-century, the corals of the
Great Barrier Reef will have been replaced
by bacterial slime and the biodiversity
we now see will have been gone forever.
We must never let this happen. We must reduce
CO2 emissions urgently."
The Esperanza was welcomed
to the Whitsunday Islands, Queensland, over
the weekend, by more than 80 local vessels
as it arrived to join a community of thousands
fighting a proposed shale oil mine that
threatens catastrophic impacts on the Reef.
The proposed mine is
just 10 kilometres from the pristine Great
Barrier Reef, on the internationally significant
Goorganga Wetlands. If approved, the mine
will consume vast amounts of water while
causing toxic leaching and air pollution
from waste rock and water. The Whitsunday
region is one of the natural wonders of
the world and to consider setting up an
industry as environmentally destructive
as shale oil here is lunacy.
Shale oil is one of
the most environmentally damaging way of
getting fossil fuel out of the ground but
it is also a major climate changer. This
one project would create up to 40 million
tonnes of greenhouse gases each year, which
is equivalent to a quarter of Queensland's
annual emissions.
Yachts, kayaks, and
boats of all shapes and sizes joined the
flotilla against the shale oil mine.
Despite the long standing mining businesses
in Queensland, the media has been generally
supportive toward this campaign and locals
are sensing a shift in general attitudes
towards the industry. In the last week,
the regional tourism association has come
out in support of the community against
the shale oil mine.
This is a campaign we’ve
fought before. The Stuart Shale Oil project
in Gladstone, Queensland was a small scale
shale oil processing plant. During its lifetime
numerous chemical compounds associated with
cancer, lung and skin problems were released
and the air stank so badly making people
feel like vomiting, while buildings vibrated
during the mine's trial processing runs.
Between 1998 and 2004, Greenpeace and local
communities fought the shale oil industry
in Australia, ultimately shutting it down.
But, now it is back.
While the Shale Oil
development represents a very local threat
to the Reef and would contribute to global
climate change, global climate change itself,
regardless of the source of emissions threatens
the reefs future. Queensland Premier, Anna
Bligh would do well to realise this, since
she may oppose Shale oil mining in the region,
she plans to double Queensland's coal exports
by 2030. But, wherever coal is burned, growing
CO2 emissions will cause irreparable damage
to the Great Barrier Reef.
The Rudd Government
currently has no plans for long-term solutions
to end Australia's current reliance on oil,
coal and road transport. The establishment
of a national shale oil industry would be
disastrous, not just for the environment
and people, but for other segments of the
economy as well. The agriculture and tourism
industries are already threatened by the
impacts of climate change. The priceless
Great Barrier Reef, creates more jobs than
Australia's entire coal industry and generates
important tourism dollars. It is already
threatened by permanent coral bleaching
as a result of climate change.
The Esperanza is currently
touring the east coast of Australia to promote
the use of renewable energy rather than
dirty fossil fuels.
We want the government to keep its election
promise to tackle climate change. Rudd must
kick start Australia’s energy revolution.
Long-term planning and public investment
in an efficient transport system can tackle
reliance on oil and vulnerability to rising
oil prices while also cutting greenhouse
gas emissions. Investment in renewable energy
can see the coal industry phased out by
2030, helping to protect the Great Barrier
Reef.
