Essay by Eric Worrall
The mine produces large volumes of bituminous thermal black coal – the kind of coal being phased out in Aussie power stations.
The green light for the largest coalmine in NSW history is shocking proof that our governance systems are betraying Australians
Georgina Woods
Thu 1 Oct 2026 13.00 AESTThere is no greater treachery than this failure to face up to the climate crisis. How can we now fend off despair?
The Independent Planning Commission’s published reasons for approving the largest coalmine in New South Wales history in the context of mounting death, disaster and despair brought on by global heating reads like a hostage statement.
In its decision, the commission accepts that the extension of the Hunter Valley Operations’ mine for a further 19 years – resulting 809m tonnes of greenhouse gas pollution – will materially worsen global warming. …
Despite all of this, the commission has still found that all of this is “outweighed” by the revenues coal mining makes, its centrality to the Hunter’s regional economy and the livelihoods of 1,500 people.
…
The commission heard direct, heart-rending testimony from people who are already grappling with the damage and loss brought by the climate crisis, from grandparents in anguish about the lives awaiting the little children they love, from scientists patiently outlining devastating evidence about the mine’s climate change impacts. All of this, they have decided, is less weighty than the economic contribution a rich mining company claims it will make.
…
Australia is facing a crisis of confidence in its democratic institutions. It is a crisis brought on by the betrayal of the people by those institutions – and there is no greater betrayal than this failure to face up to the climate emergency and protect the community from its worst consequences.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/01/nsw-coalmine-approval-hunter-valley-climate-crisis-lock-the-gate
…
See, if the decision goes against a green, its a failure and crisis of democracy. Never mind all the jobs and revenue that mine would produce, their fake climate crisis is far more important than what the greedy short termist peasants want. Maybe there should be a good old communist revolution, so the self appointed representatives of the people can properly reform society and rescue the people from their wrong think.
The main buyers of Hunter Valley coal are power stations in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. The coal goes to power their economy, to power their industries and jobs, their AI revolution, while our Aussie economy continues to be punished by our climate obsessed federal government.
I’ve never been so glad greens are losing their grip on our society, that the green movement is on the way out. Their collapse can’t come fast enough.
Here is the deal.
Green folk seldom get more than 12% of the vote when they contest an election. They hardly ever do well enough to govern with their own majority. So, they can only do deals with other groups or parties.
The green blob has decades of history of saying NO. How often can you recall them saying YES to a developing idea? We do not need further negativism.
Other parties can neutralise green interference by simply refusing to do deals. With a little show of political determination, all major parties in a country can advertise to the green blob that all future deals are off.
Geoff S
The power station which has been operating in the Hunter Valley for half a century has not long since destroyed its huge chimneys.
We are just in time for a modern coal fired power station to be built and operated and fuelled by the local coal.
Previously the coal went by a short rail link directly from the mine to the furnaces, minimal cost provision and all jobs local.
Bring it on.
‘Mounting death, disaster, and despair brought on by global heating’. Fact challenged.
Global life expectancy has rebounded from temporary COVID19 lows to a new high.
Global disasters are at a new low—no Atlantic hurricanes this years for first time in over 100.
Global despair—true only among the climate alarmists whose alarming predictions have failed to materialize for now over 40 years. Sea level rise did not accelerate. Glacier National Park still has glaciers. Polar bears are thriving.
The globe stubbornly refuses to heat as predicted. The oceans are NOT boiling, summer Arctic ice did NOT disappear, and the Greenland Icecap just gained mass again.
You left out the massive ice
lossgains in the Antarctic ice sheet. You know, the one that was going tomelt and raise ocean levels by dozens of feetadd a net gain of 112 billion tons of ice a year from 1992 to present?Dated: 5 Sep 2026: https://www.antarcticajournal.com/antarctic-ice-sheet-mass-gains-greater-than-losses/
Oh, the horror of it (this is a “TRUE” statement since the climate hoaxters will do all they can to suppress spread of such ‘lies.’)
Even when they have to admit to unwelcome facts, they do their best to limit its impact by including this caveat: “But it might only take a few decades for Antarctica’s growth to reverse…”
Wow! That has to hurt!?!
This what happens when you go to a parallel world.
these ladies are not alright
Fire up all fossil fuel and nuclear generators, build new fossil fuel and nuclear generators, remove all wind and solar from the grid.
But … but, what about the “heart-rending testimony”?
“death, disaster, and despair” = Fact Free
or, D^3 = F^2 Disgusting!
Georgina Woods missed the algebra and science classes.
Gloom, despair, and agony on me
Deep, dark depression, excessive misery
If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all
Gloom, despair, and agony on me
Hee Haw
The Climatards really do have that moral outrage thing down, don’t they?
Given all life forms on earth are carbon based and CO2 is 27% carbon by weight and dry plant matter such as trees are about 40% carbon, the additional 800m tonnes of CO2 is needed to grow an additional 500m tonnes of dried timber or other dry biomass. How many extra tonnes of tomatoes could be grown under CO2 enriched hothouse conditions?
Talk is cheap in Opposition but power is expensive in Gummint and only the impotent are pure. Perhaps the pure could announce that no publicly paid official would remain airconditioned on their watch and back to the future like the grandparents all for the sake of the grandkiddies?
Really? How about assassinating Iran’s religious leaders and family members while supposedly holding peace talks?
I suppose the climate crisis is worse in some people’s eyes. Especially the mentally afflicted who believe that CO2 is evil, and is a wondrous inexhaustible heat source.
An endless source of amusement, more like. Idiots deserve our compassion, rather than condemnation.
I don’t see the problem you are a leader in a war with no peace agreement, why would you expose yourself. Imagine what would happen if Zelenskyy or Putin advertised they were having a family bbq … cue drone incoming.
Did anyone give “security guarantees”? If not move along there was no treachery.
What war was this? A war on religion, perhaps?
The US says it is frightened of Iran developing nuclear weapons, no doubt reflecting concerns expressed by the Government of the Jewish State of Israel. Israel isn’t as concerned about North Korea, Pakistan, China, Russia or India, so the US can’t be bothered slaughtering civilians in those countries.
As it turns out, the USA is still at war with North Korea. No peace agreement. Funny, that – I wonder whether the fact that North Korea has atomic weapons has anything to do with America’s reluctance to “wipe out” North Korea?
Still, I suppose Israel will fight to the last drop of American blood in “self defense”. At least you are willing bear your share of increasing US debt, falling standards of living, and being objects of derision in many countries.
All part of the “cost of freedom”?
“Doctor” Georgina Woods has a PhD in English Literature.
In other words the last time she studied any science subject she would have been in 4th/sophomore at high school.
Does she have any understanding of science, or how science works, or how to tell if she’s being fed bullshit masquerading as science? Almost certainly not, which makes her a classic warmenista leftard activist.
The author’s statement about the global warming movement that “the collapse cannot come soon enough”–YES!!!
Dear Georgina, I suggest that you find some useful task to do with your life, like scrubbing toilets…
We should send Georgina to Alice Springs. There has been no warming of the air and climate change there since 1879.
For Alice Springs temperatures check I went to:
https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/alice-springs/average-temperature-by-year.
The Thi and Tlo temperature data from 1879 to 2025 and from two weather stations are displayed in table. Here is a selected summary of the data:
Alice Springs Intl. Airport: 1942–2025
Year——-Thi——–Tlo Temperatures are °C
2025——30.3——-13.4
1942——29.5——-13.9
Change–+0.8——- -0.5
Range Thi: 27.0–30.6
Range Tlo: 9.7—15.7
Old Post Office at Alice Springs: 1879–1941
Year——-Thi——-Tlo
1941——-27.5——12.7
1879——-28.8——11.9
Change– -1.3——+0.8
Range Thi: 26.6–30.7
Range Tlo: 11.6—14.7
CO2 Concentration Data
2025: 425 ppmv, 0.84 g CO2 per cu. m. of air
1879: 280 ppmv, 0.55 g CO2 per cu. m. of air.
CO2 Concentration Change: 53%
It is quite remarkable that there has there has been a warming of less than about 1° C at semi-arid desert city. The empirical temperature data shows that the increasing concentration of CO2 in the air had no effect on air temperature.
At the above URL, temperature data for each month of the year is available. EWW obtains temperature data from the NOAA and CRU databases.
If Anthony A. and the Canberra Climate Cartel learned of the above data, would they abandon their draconian climate agenda and their goal of Net Zero by 2050?
ATTN: Aussies Please go to the EWW home page at: http://www.extremeweatherwatch.com. There are links in light blue to weather and climate data for all of the Australian states
While reading the first part of this I was forming a response that would fit my reaction, but then Eric did a Magnificent job of filling in my thoughts, so I will rest my reaction.
Yawn. So The Guardian is playing up the climate crisis again. Is anything else new?
Ahh yes..The Guardian. My go to replacement when the TP runs out.