Australian Greens: 'We don't want to be just a coal mine for China' | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Australian Greens: 'We don't want to be just a coal mine for China' | Environment | guardian.co.uk

West of Australia's Great Dividing Range, a cluster of giant black gashes marks one of the country's biggest coal mines. Latrobe valley's pits and power plants provide 85% of the electricity used by the 5 million residents of the state of Victoria.

They are a source of pride at the local exhibition centre, where guides claim their seam is the basis for the long-term prosperity of the region. "We've got enough coal in this valley for 500 years and there's more elsewhere. Australia is one giant pit," says Ian Southall, manager of the centre.

But Latrobe will also soon be the focus of a protest by environmentalists, who want Australia to end its dependency on mining, commodity exports and coal power by moving more emphatically towards renewable energy.