Wrong place, wrong time: Emissions cited in Rocky Hill coal mine refusal
Rocky Hill thermal coal mine planned for NSW’s Hunter Valley rejected due to “dire consequences” of climate change following landmark court ruling.
The Rocky Hill thermal coal mine planned for NSW’s Hunter Valley has been rejected due to the “dire consequences” of climate change following a landmark ruling in the state’s Land and Environment Court.
Gloucester Resources - backed by rich-listers including German billionaire Hans Mende - aimed to produce 2.5 million tonnes a year of coal from the open-cut mine located about 3km south of the small town of Gloucester.
However, development consent was refused on Friday with the court explaining the mine “would be in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
“The project will be a material source of greenhouse emissions and contribute to climate change,” chief judge Brian Preston concluded.
Pollution from the coal mine would increase global emission levels “at a time when what is now urgently needed, in order to meet generally agreed climate targets, is a rapid and deep decrease in emissions,” Mr Preston said. “These dire consequences should be avoided. The Project should be refused.”
The Environmental Defenders Office of NSW had fought the mine on behalf of a local residents group - Groundswell Gloucester - who presented evidence over the mine’s potential impact on global climate change.
The Court determined the project would not assist in meeting climate change targets in the second half of the century.
Approving the mine would be unhelpful in achieving “the generally agreed goal of limiting the increase in global average temperature to well below 2ºC above pre-industrial levels,” Mr Preston said.
The Climate Council described the result as a “game-changing” legal decision for coal.
“The NSW Land and Environment court has effectively ruled that coal – just like tobacco and asbestos – is bad for us. I’m thrilled to see the law catching up with the science,” Climate Council’s chief executive Amanda McKenzie said.
Will Steffen - a professor at the ANU Climate Change Institute who was called to provide evidence over coal impacts - said coal reserves should not be developed for the world to limit temperature rises.
“This landmark decision sends a clear message to the fossil fuel industry that it cannot continue to expand if we are serious about tackling climate change,” said Professor Steffen.
“Shutting the door on new fossil fuel developments will be a major turning point in the battle to stabilise the climate system – and will add further momentum to the shift to clean, reliable, renewable energy systems,” he said.
