The Wire

The Hunter Valley renowned for its vineyards and world class wines, has a dirty secret. As the coal capital of New South Wales, it generates 40 megatonnes of CO2 emissons every year -on par with what is produced by Australia’s total car fleet. A campaign launched this morning in Newcastle by local community groups and Greenpeace, put the focus back onto the destructive nature of coal by calling for the establishment of the ‘Hunter Sustainable Future Fund’. The Fund would require the Government to impose a 10 cent per tonne levy on the coal industry to research and invest in clean energy alternatives. Georgina Wood is a campaigner with the Newcastle based group, Rising Tide. She argues that while the Federal Government and business are failing to shift their mind set, the local community is prepared to meet the challenge. She’s speaking with Paulina Vidal.