A sick Great Barrier Reef is about to catch a really bad coal

Protesters outside the Queensland Parliament calling for a stop to ports expansion near the Great Barrier Reef. - EPA

The Great Barrier Reef is sick. Almost half of its coral is already dead and a massive new coal mine will only cause further damage.

There are dark days for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. On July 29, the last major regulatory hurdle facing the development of Australia’s largest coal mine was removed by Greg Hunt, minister for the environment. The Carmichael coal mine, owned by India’s Adani Group, will cover 200sqkm and produce 60 million tonnes of coal a year – enough to supply electricity for 100 million people.