The coal industry globally, yes. The coal industry locally, not so much. I interpreted the way you said it to not be pointing at the fires, otherwise you might have said it straight up when, it's the elephant in the room. The other reason I interpreted it that way, is when you single out the Australian government as continuing to support it when other countries are losing their appetite.
The more direct impacts come in polluted waterways, coal mining operations and any other deforestation that resulted from our local coal industry.
If Australia stopped coal exports, we could have a significant impact on the viability of coal as a fuel source. If we're serious about climate change we could halt coal exports immediately, which would spike the cost of coal and lead to the closure of coal plants already on thin margins. Sounds drastic but maybe not if you consider how little time we have to correct course.
We'd need take care of the coal workers. Potentially continue their salaries for a year, then phase it out gradually. There's only $35k workers in the coal industry. Average $100k salary = $3.5 Billion per year. Doable.
I don't know what to do with the coal mines and their investors. I'm inclined to say screw them. Let them go bankrupt. But this might hurt investor confidence in Australia ...
I suppose I was thinking more about coal burning at the time, and only remembered later (in my other child comment) that we also export a substantial amount of coal. Yet I did not realise that was the scale of our coal exports.
Or alternately we could increase tariffs on coal exports. We can discourage coal use globally and have a lot of money to pump into renewable energy and it's a lot more palatable to the electorate.
The more direct impacts come in polluted waterways, coal mining operations and any other deforestation that resulted from our local coal industry.