See PDF attached

Gunnedah is prime agricultural land and should be kept that way. Coal
mining is a huge threat to our environment as it pollutes our
atmosphere, decreases biodiversity, destroys valuable land for food
production, causes wildlife to relocate, exploits nonrenewable energy
sources. The Vickery Extension Project has a planned timespan of 25
years which will emit tonnes of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere
worsening climate change.

Coming from a regional town in NSW I can already see the effects
climate change on our environment and economy such as heat waves,
water resources and biodiversity which is why I'm calling on you to
take a step in the right direction to address climate change by
stopping the Vickery Extension Project in Gunnedah.

I go to school in Sydney at Hurlstone Agricultural High School in
South West Sydney. I find that young people are given so many more
opportunities there than where I grew up. So to follow my passion for
the environment I joined the Australian Youth Climate (AYCC). Earlier
this year I was accepted into the Student Climate Leadership Program
with 20 other students. We have been working across the AYCC's
campaigns but mainly focusing on repowering schools with renewables.
We all created our own Repower Campaign which aims to build momentum
for action on climate change within our school and community. Through
this I have become aware of the urgency to switch to renewables.

In this time of drought, unseasonal weather, fires and flooding,
switching to renewables and moving away from coal and gas, we will
have a safe climate future. Countries such as Iceland, Paraguay and
Albania have already made the switch and its time that Australia did
too! Australia is the windiest and sunniest place on the earth and
there is no reason that we shouldn't use these amazing resources that
are available to all of us!

Renewables allow people to be educated, provides more jobs overall,
it's also a cheaper energy source, available across the country, its
clean, a secure investment and guess what, it never runs out! Climate
change is a big issue of today, not in 20 years time, but today. Young
people, students and future generations are going to face the
worsening effects of climate change on our environment which will
affect our health, economy and livelihoods.

It is important that you address these issues by stopping the Vickery
Extension Project not only for me and the future generations, but you
too. I hope that you can now see that we need to move away from fossil
fuels like coal that are wrecking our climate and future and move
towards renewable energy sources such as solar.

See attached