Hobart, Australia, Apr 16 (UNI) The Stop Adani Convoy, led by Australian Greens' former Senator and eminent environmentalist Bob Brown, will depart on Wednesday from here and travel around 5000+kms up the east coast of Australia with a number of events along the way.
The Bob Brown Foundation on Tuesday said here the aim of the convoy is to bring national and international attention to the proposed Adani mega coal mine, during the national election period, via the Stop Adani Convoy.
It said almost 2000 people are expected to take part in the convoy. "It is a community commitment – an act of defiance for the future of our planet. A peaceful protest against Gautam Adani’s mine," said Mr Brown.
The Foundation said the Stop Adani Convoy has been scheduled although the mine has no final go-ahead.
The convoy will start on Wednesday from Hobart, sailing on the Spirit of Tasmania. The convoy will pick up participants at designated locations along the way, including Hobart, Melbourne, Albury, Sydney, Coffs Harbour, Mullumbimby, Brisbane, Yeppoon, Airlie Beach, Mackay, the Galilee Basin and Canberra.
"We will be holding rallies in these places along the way," he said.
"The purpose is to create citizen action to pressure Labor opposition party into changing their policy and announce a commitment to stop Adani mine before the Federal Election. Keep Climate and Adani on the agenda in the lead up to the Federal Election," said Mr Bob Brown in a statement.
"Also, the convoy’s aim is to keep Adani and climate change on voters’ minds as they go to the ballot box on May 18th. May the next parliament move the nation out of extracting and burning fossil fuels! Our plans are strong and based on the best information available, but there is always a chance the schedule might have to change due to circumstances outside our control," added Mr Brown.
According to him, the Indian billionaire Guatam Adani is forging ahead with the world’s most contentious coal mine. "It is proposed to be one of the largest open cut coal mines on the planet. Adani states that it intends to ship the coal to India for use in power generation. The Adani or ‘Carmichael’ mine would, when the coal is burned, produce millions of tonnes more carbon dioxide per annum and inject them into Earth’s already overloaded atmosphere," said Mr Brown.
He said Adani has plans to operate the mine for at least 60 years, mining an estimated 2.3 billion tonnes of product coal in the process. "Burning this coal would result in the emission of 4.6 billion tonnes of CO2. Adani’s mine would open the way for six more adjacent coal mines in the Galilee Basin.The mine will result in over 500 extra coal ships travelling through the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area each year with all the associated risks of groundings and oil spills in the Reef," added he.
The convoy will conclude on Sunday May 5 with a rally for Climate in Canberra.
UNI XC-SNU 1444