In ABBOT POINT, Australia, a grassy stretch of prime grazing land sits above a vein of coal so rich and deep that it could be mined for decades. Australian government is proposing building the world's largest coal mine. Jacqueline Williams writes "But the plan has met intense opposition in Australia and abroad, focusing attention on a question with global resonance: Given the threat of climate change and the slowing global demand for coal, does the world really need another giant mine, especially at the public’s expense?"
The project, known as the Carmichael mine, has provoked strong resistance in part because of its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef, a natural wonder that is already dying because of overheated seawater blamed on climate change. The plan to ship coal to India would further damage the ecosystem of the world’s greatest system of reefs. Williams writes "A host of Australian celebrities — including the rock band Midnight Oil — and international groups have urged Mr. Turnbull to kill the project, arguing that such a large mine would violate Australia’s commitment in the Paris climate accord to work to prevent temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels."
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