The climate crisis we are facing is no longer something we can continue sweeping under the carpet. It’s time for the governing bodies of our country and our local communities to start taking action now.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They can start by ceasing to approve new mining operations. I was extremely aggrieved to learn that the Queensland Government has approved the mining leases for the Carmichael Mine despite the strong opposition against this by the public.
It defies reason because it will irrevocably damage the Great Barrier Reef by means of extensive dredging and the increase of coal ship transport.
It is also pure madness on both economical and environmental grounds in light of the climate crisis.
We have a perfect example of this on a local level with the Peabody mining corporation seeking to expand the Wilpinjong Mine. This will have detrimental effects on the surrounding environment, including water sources as well as to the Wollar community. Peabody has recently filed for bankruptcy and is in $8.3 billion worth of debt yet wants to continue expanding despite the continuing decrease in coal prices. Demand for coal is decreasing because countries the world over are taking action on climate change and are turning from coal to renewable energies to lessen the amount of CO2 released into our atmosphere. The NSW Government should throw out any plans to expand the Wilpinjong Mine and instead ask for the $58 million promised for rehabilitation to start being spent on cleaning up the damage.
Mining employees and their families are obviously concerned about the loss of their jobs if the mines close. Unfortunately it is not a question of if but when and this is a loss that they will have to accept. The mining boom is over and mines will begin to decrease productivity until they eventually close.
The smartest move miners can make is to start researching and developing skills in the new technologies so they can secure employment in these sectors early on. The government should also help make these transitions easier by providing training opportunities.
Things change and we have to adapt. The temperature of our earth has changed roughly ten times faster than the average rate of ice-age recovery warming and models predict that the earth will warm between 2 and 6 degrees Celsius in the next century.
This will be 20 times faster than that of any known warming in the past. This change is so rapid that many species of plants and animals cannot evolve and adapt fast enough to survive.
One of these species includes plankton which plays a major role in the global ecosystem, supplying half of the planet’s oxygen. It’s frightening but we have to accept that our planet is changing and our lifestyles will change regardless of our economy.
