"With Australia's 230 million tonnes annual coal exports adding more than 550 million tonnes of carbon dioxide to the world's greenhouse gas burden each year, Premier Nathan Rees cannot ignore Mr Hansen's warning.

"Mr Hansen has done a great service to the world by targeting Australian coal exports as a chief climate change culprit.  "In NSW coal mines are being approved at a record rate. "Twelve new NSW coal mine projects resulting in an additional 32 million tonnes of coal production were approved in 2008. This is a substantial increase on the five new coal mine projects adopted in 2006. These projects increased NSW coal production by an additional 16.5 million tones of coal.

"Both Labor and Coalition parties in this country have for decades given massive handouts to the coal industry. A recent research paper commissioned by the Greens revealed that from 1998 to 2007 a staggering
$10 billion in direct and indirect subsidies was given to the coal industry.

"Mr Hansen's statement on Australian coal exports should push Premier Rees to put the future of the coal industry centre stage in NSW's climate change response plan.

"The Premier should start by slashing the annual $1 billion a year subsidy to the coal industry in NSW. Much of that money is spent on coal infrastructure.

"Mr Hansen has detailed how deadly such subsidies can be. He has stated '* coal trains will be death trains * no less gruesome than if they were boxcars headed to crematoria, loaded with uncountable irreplaceable
species',".

"The Greens are campaigning for no new coal mines and no expansion of Newcastle's coal port operations,* Ms Rhiannon said.