Religious leaders occupy environment minister's office to protest Adani's Carmichael coalmine

The post below is an edited version of an article 
which appeared on The Guardian website of 25 July 2017.

Rabbi Jonathan Keren-Black is joined by seven other religious leaders 
occupying Josh Frydenberg’s office in Melbourne.

A Rabbi, a Uniting Church reverend, a former Catholic priest and a Buddhist leader call for Josh Frydenberg, Minister for the Environment and Energy,

to withdraw support for the Adani coal mine in Queensland.

Religious leaders from several faiths have occupied the electorate office of Josh Frydenberg today, demanding the federal environment minister withdraw his support for Adani’s Carmichael mine, and vowing to stay there until he does so.

Rabbi Jonathan Keren-Black told The Guardian before the action that he had never undertaken such an act of civil disobedience before.

“I have been involved with the environment for many years,” said Keren-Black. “But I haven’t taken action in this way before. It seems to me now the situation is so dire and so urgent that we have to get him to take responsibility. Because we’re talking about an ethical responsibility to the future.”

 A rabbi, a Uniting church reverend, a former Catholic priest and a Buddhist leader 

call for Josh Frydenberg to withdraw support for the Carmichael mine. 

Photograph: Supplied

“In April this year I, along with ecumenical Christian, Jewish and Buddhist leaders, signed an open letter to Minister Frydenberg stating our clear opposition to the mine. We do not feel that the response has been sufficient,” he said.

They have vowed to remain in the office until Frydenberg makes a statement removing his support for the mine, or until they are removed by force.

They say that emissions from burning coal from the mine – which would be the biggest coal mine in Australia’s history – would make meeting the Paris commitment of keeping global warming at “well below 2C” above pre-industrial levels impossible.

As the occupation happens inside the office, outside about a dozen religious leaders are holding a symbolic “funeral for coal”.

Jarrod McKenna, teaching pastor at the Cornerstone church in Perth, is among those leading the funeral.

Fact v fiction: Adani's Carmichael coal mine – video explainer

He said people from various faiths would present eulogies for coal, which would acknowledge the contribution that coal has made to society – particularly in Victoria – but that “it is now time to leave it in the ground”.  McKenna said the group is hoping that the action will move Frydenberg “to listen”.  

“Primarily to listen 

to the wishes of the traditional custodians

who have repeatedly said no. 

To the scientists who have unequivocally said no. 

To listen to the general public who have said no – 

and to listen to his own conscience.”

The coalition of non-partisan groups joining the movement fighting against the development of Adani’s Carmichael coalmine in Queensland’s Galilee Basin has grown in recent months. Last month a group representing about 2,000 farmers joined the Stop Adani alliance, bringing the total number of groups in the alliance to 13.