adani: explained

Emma GolDrick brEAKS IT DOWN Adani: Explained

What is the Adani Group? The Adani Group is an Indian conglomerate headed by selfmade billionaire Gautam Adani, who purchased a Queensland deposit of untapped thermal coal in the Galilee Basin in 2016. His plan, now in action, was to build the Carmichael mine, essentially doubling Australian carbon exports by producing 60 million tonnes of coal every year and clearing the land for nine more mega-mines belonging to five different mining companies. Reports by Environment Justice Australia have found extensive environmental violations by the Adani Group in several countries, including bribery, shell companies, tax havens, suggested fraud and money laundering.

How many jobs will the mine actually create? The Adani Group and Australian Government pitched the prospects of the Carmichael Mine by claiming that the economic benefits outweighed the negative environmental consequences since the mine would generate 10,000 jobs by peak operation in 2024. However, 2018 Nationals MP Brigid McKenzie forecasted that the mine would only create 100 ongoing jobs.

How are First Nations communities affected? The Wangan and Jagalingou people, the Traditional Owners of the land that Adani currently excavates, took legal action against the group on the grounds of native title. Denial of their sovereignty in support for Adani is “an act of war and terrorism,” explains David Cole, a member of the original sovereign tribal federation. “Wangan and Jagalingou have never knowingly acquiesced their title nor dominion over the lands,” proclaims Adrian Burragubba, a member of the Wangan and Jagalingou tribes. Refusing to recognise their dominion and relaying title to Adani, argues Cole, is a form of “ethnic cleansing”. In removing them from land and records Australian authorities revert to a terra nullius ideology, burying their history, religion and family — alive.

erbate the rate of coral bleaching and destruction to The Great Barrier Reef exponentially, through destructive processes such as dredging to expand shipping terminals. Dredging is known to degrade the water quality of the area and destruct sunlight. Despite the current water crisis, the Queensland Government has granted Adani a license to unlimited water. Roughly 250 litres of water are required to produce one tonne of coal. If the Adani Carmichael Mine reaches its touted peak rate of production of 60 million tonnes a year – it will be responsible for an estimated 120 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

How bad are the environmental ramifications? The Queensland Adani Carmichael Coal Mine would be the largest mine in the Southern Hemisphere and amongst the largest in the world. Despite the devastating environmental repercussions and plummeting coal prices, the Australian Government continues to back Adani through lifting restrictions on land and water and conducting immense subsidisation. Projections of the Adani Carmichael Mine include 500 more coal ships travelling through the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area annually for the next 60 years, access to 270 billion litres of groundwater for 60 years (free of charge) and an estimated 4.6 billion tonnes of carbon released into the atmosphere.

The Carmichael Mine will exacAdani isn’t the only mine Though the Carmichael Mine will have massive ramifications, 14 new and expanding coal projects in NSW could create more coal than the Adani Group and release more carbon pollution. Australia’s primary contribution to climate change is the exportation of coal. 90% of the coal mined in the Hunter Valley is exported. According to Lock The Gate: “Annual greenhouse emissions from NSW coal exports, when burnt in overseas power stations, are approximately triple our annual domestic emissions..”Adani being one of the largest singular mines drew big media attention but we must also acknowledge and #stop the mines outside of the public spotlight which are equally as damaging.

Alev Saracoglu Alexi Barnstone Alison Eslake Amelia Mertha Andy Mason Claire Ollivain Elizabeth Jarrett Ellie Stephenson Ellie Zheng Emily Cork Emma Goldrick Felicity Macourt Finn Bryson Himath Siriniwasa James Monaro James Sherriff Jim Green Kate Scott Kedar Maddali Misbah Ansari Madeleine Rowell Pranay Jha Prudence Wilkins-Wheat Shani Patel Shania O’Brien Toby Walmsley Tom Davidson McLeod Vivienne Guo