Climate activist Greta Thunberg on Saturday demanded that engineering giant Siemens review its role in the controversial Carmichael coal mine project, being operated by India's Adani Group, in Australia as raging bushfires wreak devastation on the continent.

The bushfire has brought back increased scrutiny on the Adani mine after activists and watchdogs blamed the Australian government's support for the coal mine industry.

According to news reports, Siemens, which is providing signalling technology to the Adani's coal mine railway, is rethinking its involvement in the project and will take a final call on Monday (January 13).

Thunberg, who become the global face of a growing youth movement against climate inaction, on Saturday tweeted that Siemens has the power to stop, delay or at least interrupt the building of the huge Adani coal mine in Australia and asked people to push the company to make the right decision.

It seems that @SiemensDE have the power to stop, delay or at least interrupt the building of the huge Adani coal mine in Australia. On Monday they will announce their decision. Please help pushing them to make the only right decision. #StopAdani

— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) January 11, 2020

Activists across the world have long protested the Carmichael facility, which once fully operational, is set to become one of the largest operational coal mines on the planet. Their criticism has intensified since the devastation wrought by the bushfires and the demand by Thunberg is expected to augment the scrutiny on the mine.

The Gautam Adani-led group entered Australia in 2010 with the purchase of the greenfield Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin in central Queensland, and the Abbot Point port near Bowen in the north.

Protesters, especially climate activists, have long opposed the mine owing mainly to its proximity to the ecologically sensitive Great Barrier Reef that many fear will be destroyed once the shipping lanes carrying out coal exports from the mine become fully operational.

The massive coal mine in Queensland state has been a controversial topic, with the project expected to produce 2.3 billion tonne of low-quality coal.

Concerns have also been raised against the large scale water consumption, approximately 12 billion liters of water annually, to burn coal, in turn leading to both water scarcity and emissions.

This high emissions levels are significant given the already questionable track record of the country. According to a report by The Global Times Australia accounts for nearly 1.3 percent of global greenhouse gas emission despite being home to only 0.3 percent of the global population.

Australia is billed as one of the largest carbon emitters in the world per capita thanks to heavy dependence on coal-fired power plants.

To a large extent, the ability of billionaire Adani to carry out with the plan owed a lot to the traditional political parties in the country who were more than willing to give environmental concern a backseat over development.

His prospects were further strengthened last year when in a surprise turn of events, Australia, which is battered by extended droughts, damaging floods, and more bushfires re-elected Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his Liberal-led centre-right coalition to power.

However, this may soon change as many have traded guns against the existing political structure and government who are already receiving criticism for the handling of the situation.

First Published:Jan 11, 2020 4:47 PM IST