Open Letter to Mr Gautam Adani Chair, Adani Group Adani House, NR Mithakhali SIX Roads, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380009, India 16 March 2017 Dear Mr Adani, We are writing to respectfully ask you to abandon the Adani Group’s proposal to dig the Carmichael coal mine in Queensland’s Galilee Basin. We would like to put to you three reasons why this mine should never go ahead. One, the Carmichael mine would be the biggest coal mine ever dug in Australia. Once its coal is burnt, it will contribute more climate-changing pollution to the atmosphere than the entire country of New Zealand does every year. Last year record-breaking ocean temperatures triggered a devastating coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef – a natural wonder that visitors from every nation love. Sadly, another bleaching event is currently underway for an unprecedented second consecutive year. Pollution from burning coal is the single biggest driver of global warming, threatening life in Australia, India and all over the world. Two, coal is a killer. Coal is the biggest single cause of air pollution in Australia. Air pollution kills an estimated 3 million people globally each year. Coal burning is a key contributor. Black lung disease has re-emerged in Queensland, afflicting 19 coal mine workers. Last month The Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals, published a report that described your company’s Carmichael mine proposal as a “public health disaster”. Three, this mine proposal does not have wide public support in Australia and does not have the support of the Traditional Owners of the land where the mine would be dug. There are concerns about the impact the mine will have on groundwater resources and on nearby farmers who rely on this water for their livelihoods. Increasingly, Australians are deeply worried about how climate change is affecting our country through worse heatwaves, bushfires and reef bleaching. Australians know coal is driving global warming. And they definitely don’t want the publicly funded Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility to finance a railway line to service the Carmichael mine. A recent poll showed 75% of Australians would prefer the funding went towards renewable energy, not infrastructure for coal companies. An Open Letter to Mr Gautam Adani Chair, Adani Group True, the Queensland and federal governments are bending over backwards to fast-track this mine. True, they have changed water laws, stripped farmers of appeal rights, are attempting to change native title laws and have earmarked $1 billion of public money to build the rail line. But we urge you to think about global warming and public health and listen to the wishes of the people. It would be a great shame if this one project were to damage the image of India in Australia. We understand the Adani Group has not made a final investment decision on the Carmichael coal mine. We strongly urge you to decide to abandon this project. We the undersigned – and we believe all Australians – would support and welcome moves by your company to invest further in renewable energy in Australia. Signatories Geoffrey Cousins AM Business and community leader Dr Lindsay Simpson Great Barrier Reef tourism operator Bruce Currie Queensland farmer Imogen Zethoven AO Australian Marine Conservation Society Ian Chappell Former Captain of the Australian Cricket Team Greg Chappell Former Captain of the Australian Cricket Team Bob Brown Former Australian Senator Christine Milne Former Australian Senator Tim Winton Award winning author David Williamson AO Playwright and screenwriter Kristin Williamson Author and journalist Richard Flanagan Award winning author John Mullen Business leader Simon McKeon 2011 Australian of the Year Indira Naidoo Author and TV presenter Ian Dunlop Former Chair, Australian Coal Association John Thwaites Former Deputy Premier Victoria Ken Peters Dodd Birriah Widi Traditional Owner Midnight Oil Australian rock band Peter Garrett AM Musician, environmentalist and former politician Rob Hirst Musician Naomi Klein Author An Open Letter to Mr Gautam Adani Chair, Adani Group Ben Elton Comedian and author Aunty Carol Prior Juru Traditional Owner Mark Burrows Investment banker David Paradice Paradice Investment Management Pty Ltd Professor Tim Flannery Councillor Climate Council and 2007 Australian of the Year Geraldine Brooks AO Pulitzer prize winning author Missy Higgins Australian singer, songwriter Helen Garner Writer Renata Kaldor AO Business and community leader Robyn Nevin AM Actress and Former CEO, Queensland Theatre Company, Sydney Theatre Company Michael Dillon AM Cinematographer and documentary maker Robin de Crespigny Author and filmmaker Mark Joiner Business leader Robert Purves AM Purves Environmental Fund John Butler Musician Dr Anne Poelina Nyikina Traditional Custodian David Fisher Producer, The Science Show ABCRN Professor Carmen Lawrence President, Conservation Council of Western Australia Distinguished Professor Terry Hughes FAA Reef scientist Keith Tuffley CEO, The B Team Dr Nigel Westlake Composer Edmund Capon Former Director, Art Gallery of New South Wales Bernard Fanning Musician Darleen Bungey Writer Professor Robert Costanza Chair of Public Policy, Australian National University Professor Fiona Stanley AC, FAA, FASSA Distinguished Research Professor University of Western Australia, Vice-Chancellor's Fellow University of Melbourne, 2003 Australian of the Year Garry Shead Artist Virginia Duigan Author and screenwriter Sally Morrison Biographer and fiction writer Janet Laurence Artist Ben Quilty Artist, activist, Trustee of Art Gallery of New South Wales and Honorary Doctorate Western Sydney University Andrew Davies Publisher and musician Anne Manne Writer Peter Kingston Artist An Open Letter to Mr Gautam Adani Chair, Adani Group Richard Walsh Publisher and social commentator Lea Ferris Caring citizen Ash Grunwald Musician Tim Hollo Musician and CEO, Green Music Australia Graeme Wood Entrepreneur, philanthropist and environmentalist Aunty Beryl Carmichael Nyampa Elder and author Arnold Zable Author, novelist and human rights advocate Professor Lesley Hughes Councillor Climate Council Andrew Stock Councillor Climate Council Professor David Karoly IPCC Lead Author Bill McKibben Author and Co-founder, 350.org May Boeve Co-founder and Executive Director, 350.org Koreti Tiurnalu Pacific Coordinator, 350.org Blair Palese CEO, 350.org Australia Dr Jonathan King OA AA Best-selling, award-winning author and historian Ben Oquist Executive Director, The Australia Institute Joanna Weston Australian athlete and environmentalist Sheila Nguyen Executive Director, Sports Environmental Alliance (SEA) Mike Sheahan Australian journalist, #SEA Ambassador Jeff McMullen Journalist, author and film maker Ross Tzannes AM Lawyer and community leader Toby Barber Renewable Energy Engineer David Ritter CEO, Greenpeace Australia Pacific Kirsty Albion Director, Australian Youth Climate Coalition Amanda McKenzie CEO, Climate Council Kelly O'Shanassy CEO, Australian Conservation Foundation Paul Oosting National Director, Getup! Archie Law Executive Director, ActionAid Australia Claire O'Rourke National Director, Solar Citizens Cam Walker Campaign Coordinator, Friends of the Earth Kate Smolski CEO, Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales Craig Wilkins Chief Executive, Conservation Council of South Australia Shar Molloy Director, Environment Centre Northern Territory Mark Wakeham CEO, Environment Victoria Darren Kindleysides Director, Australian Marine Conservation Society