A coal company has all but destroyed the community of Acland, Queensland, where Australian seed and grain farmer Sid Plant lives, he told the community of Mataura, Southland, today at the “Keep the Coal in the Hole Summer Festival” open day.
Around 300 people are attending today’s open day at the Mataura Community Centre. Locals have joined the 150 scientists, members of NGOs, MPs, farmers and concerned citizens from across New Zealand who have been camping since Friday, discussing Solid Energy’s plans to develop dirty lignite coal, which would increase our greenhouse gas emissions by 20%. They’re camping on the land of one farmer who refuses to sell to Solid Energy, Mike Dumbar.
Mr Plant’s 1200 ha farm in southern Queensland (near Toowoomba) borders the four million tonne New Hope coal mine that will later expand to ten million tonnes. He has watched as neighbour after neighbour has been bought up by New Hope.
“The mining companies all say ‘we will make it better than it was’ but they destroy the land – it can never be rehabilitated. I’ve witnessed the desecration of the best quality farmland where I live – just as Solid Energy is about to do in Southland. You can never get it back,” Mr Plant told the meeting.
Also speaking at the Open Day was orthopaedic surgeon Russell Tregonning, on behalf of Ora Taiao, a group of more than 140 senior doctors and other NZ health professionals gravely concerned about the impacts of climate change as a leading global health threat this century (according to the World Health Organisation).
“The threat from climate change supersedes the threat of cardiovascular disease, cancer, AIDS/HIV, the diabetes epidemic – all combined,” he told the meeting.
Dr Tregonning also outlined the threats to the local community from a range of pollutants that would be emitted from Solid Energy’s operations in Southland.
Dr Tregonning also outlined the threats to the local community from a range of pollutants that would be emitted from Solid Energy’s operations in Southland.
“Coal pollutants affect all major body organ systems and contribute to four of the five leading causes of mortality in the US: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory diseases,” he warned.
Antarctic geologist Dr Peter Barratt outlined concerns about climate change.
“Changes to the climate have already begun. As an Antarctic scientist, it troubles me that the ice sheet has already begun to melt – when I traveled there 40 years ago that idea was inconceivable. If we keep on burning fossil fuels the way we are now, by the end of the century there will be as much CO2 in the atmosphere as 40-50 million years ago when average global temperatures were many degrees warmer than they are today.”
Dr Shannon Page, a lecturer at Lincoln University’s Environmental Management department, warned against assurances that the emissions from lignite can be taken care of by Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
“CCS is an experimental technology, but even in the best case, it could only reduce emissions from some of the process of coal use – not the extraction nor the end use of briquettes. It is highly unlikely that there would ever be somewhere to bury CO2 in Southland,” he said.
Coal Action Network Aotearoa spokesperson Kristin Gillies was “delighted” with the turnout both at today’s meeting, and with the festival.
“The whole of New Zealand should be extremely worried about Solid Energy’s plans for lignite exploitation in Southland. As a result of this festival we now have a national campaign determined to oppose this company, every step of the way.”
ENDS
5 comments:
Thanks Robert is there a full transcript of Plant's speach anywhere.
As I say to those deluded to thinkingn all will be rosy after mining, Where is the 12 and half million tons per annum of top soil coming from to replace the lignite removed? ( Jan Wright - report)
Who is paying for the roads after it is pounded every day and night by ten ton trucks, what about the pollution in the air to the Neighbours ?
All legitimate questions we should have been given the right to ask at a public RMA consent hearing!!
The 'non-notified' hearings at Gore District Council and Environment Southland are worth looking into, Pauline. A fledgling journalist would probably OIA the details around them :-)
Hmmm something to get my teeth into next month or when I am encouraged ( allowed) to I guess :)
Was at a Gore District Council extraordinary meeting this afternoon to hear submissions received re Gore's Representation Review. Only Six councillors were in attendance along with the Mayor, CE and a staff member taking the minutes.
This was however a higher number than attended the 'Keep the coal in the Hole' meeting at Mataura last Sunday. Cr Ralph Beale told me that he was the only one who attended at Mataura.
The depressing part of the meeting was how the CE fudged his way with excuses for his inexcusable error in calculating the Gore District’s resident population. He had omitted to include the 740 Maori residing in our District. One submitter had picked up his error (which was probably fortunate for the Council). In a previous letter to a submitter the CE had admitted he had made an error, but his memo to Councillors showed he wasn‘t too keen to be upfront publicly. The Chief Executive’s calculations was for rural folk having to be put into the Mataura and Gore urban wards, when all that was required was minor changes between the two rural wards.
Perhaps an even more depressing situation arises in that not one of the councillors challenged their CE over his lack of candour.
This quote by Andrew J in today’s interest.co.nz would seem to sum up the state of play in today’s world.
The Swedish Count Axel Oxenstierna was right when he wrote to his son in 1648: "An nescis, mi fili, quantilla prudentia mundus regatur?"
"Do you not know, my son, with how little wisdom the world is governed?"
Good grief!
Candour, Colin?
Good luck with that!
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