US bill sets dangerous precedent for mining in Australia

Banks and the Chinese Government are pulling out of any funding of this massive project. This is a real win, I just hope I am not speaking too soon.

NO THANKS: If Australia passed a law similar to US President Donald Trump's Arctic oil one, it could have dire environmental consequences. Picture: KEVIN DIETSCH / POOL

THERE is a lot of media focused on the United States, and it seems the news has a constant barrage of their president and his tweets and comments.

This article is about one of the bills that has been passed and the consequences of that.

Before I start, there seems to be an opinion that the Adani mine won't happen now.

Banks and the Chinese Government are pulling out of any funding of this massive project. This is a real win, I just hope I am not speaking too soon.

Our current government seems to have a fetish around coal, and the pessimist in me senses that they will succeed in getting it over the line; let's hope not. This was also enabled by people power and most of the community in Queensland do not want this project and its consequences; not just to the environment but for the economy as well.

Okay, now to this bill that was passed in the US. But please while reading this I would like you to think of what it would mean if we had the same bill accepted here in Australia.

What is this bill? They are opening the Arctic National Park in the north of Alaska for drilling for oil. They will then start drilling for oil in this area.

Now let's put this in perspective. That would mean the government here would pass a bill to mine the Great Barrier Reef for calcium deposits or open the Royal National Park in Sydney to mining.

There is no illusion that we are perfect here, we are still mismanaging many of our areas in Australia, but can you believe that the US government has passed this?

If we keep on allowing this to happen, we keep focusing on energy, technology that we do not need to use any more.

We can really start creating a new economy based on renewable energy, and looking at a sustainable economy that will be succeeding long after we are all gone; life and the places we hold dear today will be taken care of and our grandchildren's grandchildren can still enjoy and be successful then.

There is a real parallel, between the Adani coal mine and the passed bill for oil in the Arctic Circle.

Hopefully the Adani mine project is dead and buried and the Australian public and conscience will be clear, and we now start to move forward to new heights.

We can be an example to the rest of the world and show that we don't need 'horse and cart' technology any more. Imagine if we kept investing in the Commodore 64 (if you are old enough to remember that). Look at where technology has gone now.

The sceptic in me sees there is more to this than meets the eye and special interests are involved in more ways than one.

Let's start a techno revolution. Fight for a renewable future and leave coal and oil in the ground where nature intended them to be.

Originally published as US bill sets dangerous precedent for mining in Australia