Dear friends,

Australia is about to build one of the biggest coal complexes in the world, damaging the Great Barrier Reef and threatening our climate. But the company planning the project is deep in debt, and if we can convince a crucial investor to walk away, the whole polluting plan will be derailed. Sign this urgent petition now and help Save the Great Barrier Reef:

Australia is about to build some of the biggest coal mines in history, then destructively dredge the Great Barrier Reef to ship hundreds of millions of tonnes of coal to the world. But tomorrow there’s a major chance to stop the project in its tracks and take a stand for our climate!

The emissions from new mines proposed in the Galilee Basin would be greater than the 2009 emissions of Canada or the UK! But the company planning the project is drowning in debt and desperate for a major investor to keep it afloat. Australian rail company Aurizon has expressed interest in a crucial coal rail-line, but after months of deliberation, they’re still on the fence — and a massive outcry could convince them to stay away from this environmentally disastrous and financially risky project.

Tomorrow they’re holding a key meeting with stakeholders. Let’s hit the phone to let them know what we think about this disastrous project and what it’d do to their reputation. Click to call, and help save our climate and the Great Barrier Reef:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_great_barrier_reef_train_wreck_oz_loc/?bhPqncb&v=27173

Australia is already the #2 coal exporter in world — and there are enough new mines proposed in the Galilee Basin to roughly triple the amount they produce! If all the coal from the proposed mines were burned, it would be three times Australia’s current climate pollution. Let’s stall this new Australian coal rush before it sets us back years in the fight against climate change.

Around the world the smart money is moving away from coal. Some of Australia’s biggest mining companies are even backing away from these projects, but the Indian company leading this project — GVK — is bucking the trend. They plan to build a massive port right in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef and dredge deep into the seafloor dumping the material at an unknown destination. It’s an ecological disaster that would damage the reef directly before killing it with climate change.

The Australian rail company Aurizon has been in talks with GVK to invest in the crucial rail link from mines to the ports, but unlike GVK, Aurizon’s own investors don’t like risk — one even makes major donations to support climate activism! Even Macquarie Bank has come out saying the likelihood of returns is “extremely poor”. Their decision could come any day — a big, public reminder on the day their top investors meet in Brisbane could be just the thing to stop this plan. Sign this urgent petition and share it with everyone you know to stop the Great Barrier Reef Train Wreck:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_great_barrier_reef_train_wreck_oz_loc/?bhPqncb&v=27173

The Avaaz community has been fighting to save the unparalleled beauty of the reef for years. Last year, Avaaz members threatened a public US Bank when they were set to invest in Reef destruction. Hundreds of thousands of Avaaz members sent messages to the Australian Environment Minister to help win the largest marine reserve in the world. Let’s do it again and put the reef out of reach of these profiteering plunderers.

With hope and determination,

Oliver, David, Emily, Luca, Rewan, Vilde, Will and the whole Avaaz team

PS – Many Avaaz campaigns are started by members of our community. It’s easy to get started – click to start yours now and win on any issue – local, national or global: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/start_a_petition/?bgMYedb&v=23917

SOURCES:

GVK’s Australia coal project ‘a quagmire, not an investment’ says report (The Times of India)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/GVKs-Australia-coal-project-a-quagmire-not-an-investment-says-report/articleshow/20651363.cms

Report- Stranded: Alpha Coal Project in Australia’s Galilee Basin (IEEFA)
http://www.ieefa.org/report-stranded-alpha-coal-project-in-australias-galilee-basin/

GVK rejects claim Alpha is ‘stranded’ (The Age)
http://www.theage.com.au/business/carbon-economy/gvk-rejects-claim-alpha-is-stranded-20130619-2oj96.html

Cooking the Climate, Wrecking the Reef Report (Greenpeace)
http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/en/what-we-do/climate/resources/reports/Cooking-the-climate-Wrecking-the-reef/

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Avaaz.org is a 24-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decision-making. (“Avaaz” means “voice” or “song” in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz’s biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

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