Samantha Hepburn (6.4.16) draws attention to the glaring shortcomings in current coal mine approval legislation:
‘This approach to environmental assessment may work when monitoring the mine’s impact on its immediate vicinity, but it is patently ineffective when dealing with the environmental damage from burning huge amounts of coal. The fundamental problem with the existing environmental approval processes, at both the Commonwealth and state levels, lies in their failure to address properly the impacts of fossil fuel emissions that contribute directly to global warming.’