The Environment Council of Central Queensland has asked Plibersek to factor in the potential damage from global warming caused by emissions from 19 coal and gas projects currently awaiting federal approval.
She has rejected the council’s request in three instances;Mach Energy’s application to expand its Mount Pleasant open-cut mine,Whitehaven’s application to expand its Narrabri underground mine – both in NSW – as well as the Ensham coal mine extension in Queensland.
The Environment Council,represented by Environmental Justice Australia,filed a request in the Federal Court on Monday for a judicial review of Plibersek’s decision to reject global warming as a relevant factor in the Narrabri and Mount Pleasant mines,which she is still assessing.
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The legal challenge is a sign of the political pressure mounting against her and the Albanese government,which campaigned heavily on its promise of more ambitious climate action in last year’s election.
The influential grassroots organisation Labor Environment Action Network is also calling for the federal government’s promised reforms of environment laws to include assessment of the climate impacts of major projects,including coal mines.
A similar demand is being pushed by the Greens in federal parliament,demandingLabor insert a so-called “climate trigger” in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act,which would force the government to assess the contribution of all fossil fuel projects to global warming.