Australia's Religious body ARRCC call on GHD to turn from Adani

Meditation & Prayer Vigil outside Australian engineering firm GHD offices in Sydney. The protesters argue that the project would harm the environment as it ignores the concerns of Climate Change.

Faith-based Meditation Vigils will be held on Thursday outside the offices of engineering firm GHD in Sydney and Brisbane and in Melbourne. These faith-based meditation vigils were also held on Wednesday.

The Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC) supporters want to send a clear message that helping Adani build its Carmichael Coal Mine and Rail Project is unacceptable. ARRCC has requested a meeting with the CEO of GHD. President of ARRCC, Thea Ormerod, said: "We are urging GHD to change their position on Adani immediately and, until such time as they do, we will be publicly bearing witness to the need for a more ethical decision." "We, people of faith, believe the project is immoral," said Ms Ormerod. "Just at a time when humanity must move as quickly away from the burning of coal, oil and gas, approvals have gone ahead for projects like this one which threatens the world's children and grandchildren – yours, mine, everyone's. Australia is no less culpable because the coal from the Carmichael Project is burned overseas. If the mining and exports go ahead, the planet is harmed wherever the product is burned."

Climate scientists have warned that much of the world's fossil fuel reserves need to stay in the ground if the world is to stay under 2 degrees warming. Their calls are echoed by senior religious leaders like Pope Francis, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and others. President of the Buddhist Council of NSW, Mr Gawaine Davies, said "There is a range of reasons that make Adani's Project unethical. The Wangan and Jagalingou people have not given their proper consent, so once again they are being robbed of their rights to land and culture." "Dollar-for-dollar, more jobs can be created by investing in renewables and low-carbon technologies," said Dr Davies. "The main problem holding us back is the cashed-up coal lobby which has such an influential hold on our governments at both State and Federal levels." "In the long-term, opening up the Galilee Basin to coal mining would add further risk to the Great Barrier Reef, on which 60,000 reef tourism jobs rely. Mining uses huge amounts of water which would be drawn from the Great Artesian Basin system. Farmers need water in a drought-prone country like Australia,".