The Green’s plan to build a carbon neutral economy before 2050 by banning coal mines has drawn criticism from Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, who has labeled the plan as fanciful and liable to cause an economic and social catastrophe in her state.

 

Ms Bligh has come to the defence of the industry, which employs over 55,000 Queenslanders, and has created an unlikely alliance with National’s Senate leader Barnaby Joyce on the topic.

 

Ms Bligh has warned Prime Minister Julia Gillard to move away from the ‘extreme’ politics of the Greens, with who Ms. Gillard is close to finalizing a co-developed carbon tax.

 

The political spat comes as the Greens have made their position on fossil fuel dependency conclusively clear, with Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne saying that the Climate Change Commission’s The Critical Decade proves that a move away from fossil fuels is a necessity.

 

"The science is clear - whatever we do now needs to put Australia on the path towards zero emissions as fast as possible," Ms Milne said

 

"The time for coal is over and the time for gas is extremely limited. It is time to start building the industrial solar plants in Australia that are being built in Europe and America, time to move to 100% renewable energy as fast as possible.