India's former environment minister says he's appalled by Australia's decision to approve Adani's massive new coal mine in Queensland, and has questioned the Indian miner's environmental track record.

Jairam Ramesh has told the ABC the mine would threaten the survival of the Great Barrier Reef, and Adani's record in environmental management in India "leaves a lot to be desired".

India's former environment minister Jairam Ramesh in a file picture.

"And, if it leaves a lot to be desired domestically, there's no reason for me to believe that Adani would be a responsible environmental player globally," he told the broadcaster's Four Corners program.

Mr Ramesh said the federal and Queensland governments had not looked properly at the Adani Group's environmental and financial conduct in India before approving the mine in the Galilee Basin.