We, the undersigned organisations and people, declare our shared determination to stop the proposed open cut coal mine at Anvil Hill in the Upper Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. Anvil Hill, owned by Centennial Coal, Australia's largest independent coal company, is one of the largest new mines being proposed for the Hunter Valley, and a key factor in the massive expansion of the Hunter Valley's coal infrastructure and Newcastle coal port. These expansions will fuel climate change, our nation's greatest future threat.
Newcastle is the world's largest coal export port. Its expansion will accelerate dangerous climate change
In the next 5 years, the Federal Government and coal companies will spend over $1 billion dollars massively upgrading the coal infrastructure in the Hunter Valley and Newcastle. Meanwhile, the NSW Government is ramming through new coal mine proposals. These developments reveal the extent to which Australian governments are actively fuelling dangerous climate change, despite acknowledging the threat it poses.
The short-term profits of coal companies must not blind us to the fact that every tonne of coal exported from Newcastle will come back to us as climate change: longer and worse droughts, more intense and frequent bushfires, more water scarcity, increased rates of disease and the destruction of iconic areas like the Great Barrier Reef and Kakadu. In the Hunter valley, industries like dairy and winegrowing will come under intolerable strain.
Enough is enough - we must draw the line at Anvil Hill!
Communities and individuals have chosen to draw a line in the sand at the proposed Anvil Hill coal mine. If approved, Anvil Hill will produce 9 million tonnes of coal a year, making it one of the biggest coal mines in NSW. Located west of Muswellbrook, the deposit is in the largest area of remnant woodland on the floor of the Central Hunter Valley. The area over the deposit is home to a high diversity of endangered species of flora and fauna, and many flora species endemic to the area are found there. A mine at Anvil Hill would be a local and global environmental disaster.
There is another way - a sustainable Hunter and climate protection are possible
There is another way - a sustainable Hunter and climate protection are possible There are more sustainable and equitable energy and development pathways for the Hunter and its people based on sustainable agriculture, clean manufacturing industries, renewable energy, and eco-tourism and service industries. We will work together with affected communities, labour unions, businesses and governments to forge partnerships to promote and develop these industries that can provide a more sustainable future and secure jobs for people over many generations.
Coal mines like Anvil Hill and the coal infrastructure expansions they drive lock the Hunter further into coal and jeopardise the development of a sustainable future for the Valley. They destroy precious ecosystems in the Hunter Valley, ruin communities, and by fuelling climate change they contribute to our nation's greatest future threat.
If we are serious about a sustainable future for the Hunter, and about tackling climate change, then as a first step Anvil Hill must be stopped.
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Organisations who have signed-on already
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Some individuals who have signed-on already
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If your organisation would like to sign on to the Statement please send an email to signon
anvilhill.org.au