-
Why Australia’s Mining Boom Will Leave Permanent Scars
With the coal boom on the wane, mining companies want to escape the cost of rehabilitating their sites. But even if governments effectively restrain them, many of the huge voids in the landscape will never be filled in. The Australian coal industry is dotted with recent examples of major miners selling projects to smaller players at peppercorn prices, unloading both their rehabilitation liabilities and the reputational risks. Rio Tinto, which last year flagged the sale of its Blair Athol mine to the ill-fated Linc Energy, has emerged with a proposed deal to sell it for $1 to a debt-laden junior player called TerraCom, linked to a trio of former state…
-
Australian PM: Coal Industry Defender and Climate Change Denier
In the Guardian Article Scott Morrison and the big lie about climate change: does he think we’re that stupid? Richard Flanagan argues that the Australian PM is so determined to protect the coal mining industry that he even denies the possible influence of climate change in recent devastating droughts and bushfires. In a year that has seen Australia ravaged by fire, the floods, cyclones and drought, the response of their Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has amounted to little more than arriving late at the scene with a cuddle. This stands in sharp contrast to the conviction he has displayed in other guises, such as commander in chief of the Pacific…
