Top – Participants at one of the ARRCC-organised prayer vigils in Sydney and, below – at the Melbourne event. PICTURES: Supplied
Christians were among people representing various faiths who joined with thousands of others in a nationwide “day of action” in Australia in which they voiced their opposition to Adani’s proposed Carmichael coal mine in central Queensland.
Meditation and prayer vigils were held in Sydney, Melbourne and Kiama last weekend, organised by the interfaith group, the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change. Other events also reportedly took place at locations including Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Port Douglas in northern Queensland.
Among those who took part in the ARRCC events was Uniting Church minister, Rev Bill Thomas.
“We have a duty to care for the earth, a sacred gift from God,” he said. “In this time and place, this means protecting the Galilee Basin from Adani’s Carmichael mine. If the mine is established it will further exacerbate extreme weather events, which in turn are impacting the world’s poor the hardest. It will destroy parts of the Great Barrier Reef and cause irreversible damage to groundwater systems. As Christians, we cannot stand silently by.”
Thea Ormerod, president of the ARRCC, said in a statement that the group was “very concerned” about the federal and state government support being given to the mine and rail project.
“In particular, ARRCC opposes the possible $1 billion loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility for a rail line, and the Queensland Government’s decision to allow easy access to our precious artesian waters. All this at a time when a rapid transition away from coal and to renewables globally is rightly under way.”
ARRCC organised the joint publication of an open letter critical of the Carmichael mine proposal earlier this year.
