The decision by the High Court to rule as invalid the expansion of a major coal mine is welcomed (“Ruling rocks coal mine cases”, October 8).
asserted
decision → rule → cases
The two dissenting judges claimed that the NSW Independent Planning Commission had taken exported fossil fuels into account as the importers were signatories to the Paris Agreement.
asserted
importers → dissent → Agreement
However, none of the nations that receive Australian coal are on track to meet the target of 2 degrees of global warming, let alone the forlorn, and now virtually abandoned, 1.5-degree target.
asserted
that → receive → warming
As a consequence, pinning the justification of exports on the obligations of the importers to the Paris Agreement is totally meaningless.
asserted
pinning → pin → Agreement
Roger Epps, Armidale
The High Court of Australia has just disallowed a 22-year expansion of the massive foreign-owned Mount Pleasant coal mine in the Hunter on climate grounds.
asserted
Court → disallow → grounds
The court saw that 98 per cent of the mine’s huge greenhouse gas emissions would occur when the coal is burnt overseas.
asserted
coal → see → emissions
Now the industry and the parties of the right are screaming for the law to be changed, so these massive emissions won’t need to be considered.
asserted
emissions → scream → right
They show no concern for the terrible effects of climate change to which this country is already and especially exposed.
asserted
country → show → which
Nor do they care about climate change driving up the cost of living, or that when these companies can no longer sell their coal, they pull up stumps without any effort to transition the workers.
asserted
they → care → workers
The mining industry and business will say “But what about jobs?”
asserted
industry → say → jobs
To which I reply, the land enclosures that occurred towards the end of the 18th century had people crying out about jobs, then along came the Industrial Revolution.
asserted
Revolution → reply → jobs
As the world turns, jobs will come.
asserted
jobs → turn → ?
Our planet needs protection from business and industry with blinkers on that only see what they want to see.
asserted
they → need → what
He died in 1963 of lung cancer, and my family has hated the mines ever since.
asserted
family → die → mines
Genevieve Milton, Dulwich Hill
The High Court’s excellent, science-based decision requiring NSW coal mines to account for their climate pollution should not be viewed as a shock.
asserted
decision → base → shock
Rather, we should be shocked that the Albanese government has continued to approve new coal and gas projects despite their well-known climate costs.
asserted
government → continue → costs
Australians expect governments to act in the public interest and safeguard the future.
asserted
governments → expect → future
If that duty of care means anything, it must extend to protecting today’s children and future generations from worsening climate harm.
asserted
it → mean → harm
Thank you to the brave community group who spoke up for us all.
asserted
who → thank → us
Spotlight on solar
While continuing to expand gas and coal production, Albanese wants to be thought of as a good neighbour by Pacific nations.
asserted
Albanese → continue → nations
He would be better making the claim for ordinary citizens with rooftop solar.
uncertain
He → make → solar
If Herald readers are anything to go by, the Albanese government is indeed set to “COP it for Pacific diplomacy” (“PM’s bold statement at odds with record” and “Why Albanese will COP it for Pacific diplomacy”, October 8).
asserted
Albanese → go → diplomacy
The government’s thin veil of pretence of climate action is slowly unravelling as Anthony Albanese’s warnings about the urgency of climate action ring increasingly hollow in the Pacific and across Australia.
asserted
warnings → unravel → Australia
Because our federal environment laws still fail to properly take climate impacts into account, it’s taken the High Court to place a pause on Labor’s steady stream of coal and gas approvals.
asserted
it → fail → approvals
Hopefully, this proves a turning point and a moment of clarity.
asserted
this → prove → clarity
A nation that claims to be part of the Pacific family cannot keep approving the very projects that threaten the region’s future.
uncertain
that → claim → future
Australia needs a clear plan to move beyond dangerous and polluting coal and gas.
asserted
Australia → need → coal
Amy Hiller, Kew (VIC)
Concrete invasion
A glossy brochure heralds the design for the Cammeray Parklands (“The ‘lush oasis’ being built next to Sydney’s busiest motorway,” September 1) to be restored by Transport for NSW.
asserted
brochure → herald → NSW
Overshadowed to the south by a large tunnel facilities building and obscured in the north by a giant cement retaining wall, the parklands are a poor substitute for the grassy slopes destroyed by the Warringah Freeway and tunnel construction.
asserted
parklands → overshadow → Freeway
Catherine Turner, Cremorne
Fund the future
Your correspondent calls government-built EV chargers “socialising the costs of private needs” (“Private EV needs”, October 8).
asserted
correspondent → call → needs
John Matheson, Antechamber Bay (SA)
How silly could it get (“Tesla and power giants unite to oppose ‘EV charger tax’ plan,” October 8)?
uncertain
Tesla → get → plan
I don’t have a car but I do have solar panels and a battery.
asserted
I → have → panels
The common sense of using sunshine and wind to provide energy, plus the rapid take-up of electric vehicles – one in four new vehicles sold – lays bare the need for EV chargers in every street.
asserted
sense → use → street
When outlying areas like Gerringong were added to the metropolitan water supply, it made sense to spread the cost across the whole community.
asserted
it → add → community
What would have been a huge burden to the small local population was negligible when it became metropolitan-wide.
asserted
it → become → population
Now we should do the same to help electrify vehicles.
asserted
we → do → vehicles
Glenda Gartrell, Newtown
Government involvement in building EV chargers is not “socialism” if it is smart enough to make a modest profit by supporting this important, climate-friendly service.
asserted
it → build → service
It sounds like a good idea to add a small amount to power bills to fund public EV chargers on power poles.
asserted
It → sound → poles
Unfortunately, unless agreement with local councils can be achieved, it is doomed to be a waste of money.
asserted
it → achieve → money
In my suburb there are already a number of EV chargers on power poles, all of which are unusable as the council has not marked the parking spaces for EV charging.
asserted
council → be → charging
…and 57 more, not listed.
The Aporia
