When the Queensland government approved the Carmichael mine – the largest in Australia – in July, conservationists were shocked. Overseen by the Indian company Adani, the mine will export roughly 60 million tonnes of coal a year. Five million tonnes of seabed will be dug up, to allow large boats to dock at Abbot Point, and dumped in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
The plans have met fierce opposition and in early September the Queensland goverment endorsed a plan to dump some of the dredge material on land. Dredging and dumping can destroy sea-grass beds, used by turtles and dugongs for food; reduce water quality and smother coral. Increased use of large ocean-going vessels will make whales, turtles and dugongs more vulnerable to being hit.
