The Queensland Government has approved the $20 billion Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin, but environmental groups say the mine will fuel global warming and further threaten the Great Barrier Reef.
The multi-billion dollar project, headed by Indian multinational Adani, will extract 60 million tonnes of thermal coal each year. It will create more than 5000 jobs during construction and over 4000 during operation.
The Adani Australia CEO has said thermal coal will be used to generate power in poverty stricken parts of India.
The Australian Youth Climate Commission (AYCC) has protested the development of the mine. It said the government had chosen coal over coral, and has put pressure on the Great Barrier Reef, which was already under threat from coral bleaching.
AYCC said jobs were important for central Queensland, but not as important as natural resources and the development of renewable energy sources.
The Queensland Government has placed almost 200 environmental conditions on the mine leases.