Big polluters again allowed to lift emissions without penalty
by Adam Morton Environment editor from Environment | The Guardian on (#4Z28Q)
The 'safeguard mechanism' promised to limit industry's carbon pollution, but in two years has approved more than 7m tonnes of extra emissions
Mining and heavy industry companies, including BHP and Alcoa, have again been allowed to lift their greenhouse gas emissions without penalty under a climate change policy that the Australian government promised would prevent national pollution increasing.
Under changes posted online on Thursday, BHP coal and iron ore mines in Western Australia and Queensland, Alcoa's Portland aluminium smelter in Victoria and a Boggabri coalmine in New South Wales were each given the green light to emit more under the scheme known as the "safeguard mechanism".
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