Dear friends,

Although nothing will bring back the 46,000 year old Aboriginal sacred site which Rio Tinto destroyed in May so that they could get to more iron ore, at least now the company’s CEO JS Jacques and two other executives have been forced to resign over it. This may give other mining company executives pause for thought when they are weighing up the advantages of trampling over people’s rights and dignity, destroying irreplaceable archaeological heritage or wrecking ecosystems. Pressure from Aboriginal people themselves combined with widespread public outrage and shareholder concern about reputation to make Rio Tinto do more than simply dock the pay of the people at the top.

Many more Aboriginal sites are at risk from mining in Australia. There is a need for a total change in the attitude in top management at Rio Tinto and throughout the industry. BHP’s operations are also a threat to many similar sites and investors are now putting the pressure on BHP as well. As BHP’s London and Australian AGMs approach, the company is also under fire for its exploration activities in Ecuador, the continuing effects of the Samarco tailings dam disaster in Brazil, heavy water use in Chile and the impacts of the Cerrejon Coal mine in Colombia, where legal action is being taken against a river diversion and workers are on strike to protest against worsening work conditions. Global union IndustriALL is calling on BHP to respect worker rights around the world.

There has been a welcome victory for campaigners against opencast coal mining in England, including LMN member group Coal Action Network, with the UK government rejecting plans for coal mining at Druridge Bay in Northumberland.

But although LMN is committed to the struggle to end coal use in order to save the climate, we are also working to limit the huge increase in mining of so-called ‘green’ metals supposedly needed for the energy transition – because they are not ‘green’ when you take into account the ecological damage and social injustice connected with extracting them. We have to work to reduce our consumption of minerals and ensure a fairer distribution of resources – not simply replace one ecocidal form of extractivism with another. At LMN, we are taking an active role in developing a global campaign to establish communities’ right to say no to mining.

We are also working with others to bring about a massive improvement in the handling of mining waste. Last month, the Global Tailings Review launched its new Global Industry Standards of Tailings Management (GISTM), aimed at preventing tailings disasters such as the Brumadinho collapse of January 2019. We do not think they do enough to protect mining-affected communities.

LMN has recently been involved in solidarity activities with continuing struggles for justice for families of mine workers murdered in the 2012 Marikana Massacre in South Africa, to ensure that GCM Resources cannot construct an opencast coal mine at Phulbari in Bangladesh, and to stop Beowulf Mining from disrupting indigenous Sami livelihoods in Sweden. We’ve also been in touch with communities blocking roads in Brazil as part of a conflict with Anglo American.

Our friends at RAID (Rights and Accountability in Development) have been taking action against London-linked companies Petra Diamonds and Barrick over killings linked to mining activities in Tanzania and Glencore for a toxic spill in Chad.

There is plenty more news below, including news of online events we have been involved with. Do please join us for our next online activity – a Resistance to Mining film festival, beginning next Monday. And remember that you can read the news we send out most days by Twitter either by following us if you have a Twitter account or checking our Twitter feed via our website.

All the best,

Richard Solly,

Co-ordinator, London Mining Network.

In this mailout

Events and Actions

International Resistance to Mining Film Festival

How mining companies silence and nullify the actions of Indigenous Peoples

Holding Corporations to Account (Workshop)

Boiling Point: A COP26 Coalition Speaker Series

Lloyd’s unfriend coal, say no to Adani

News

1) Rio Tinto and the destruction of the Juukan Gorge Aboriginal site, Australia

2) Other Rio Tinto news

3) News about BHP

4) Coal mine plan rejected in north east England

5) Questions to Beowulf

6) News of Cerrejón Coal (owned by Anglo American, BHP and Glencore)

7) Petra Diamonds and human rights abuse in Tanzania

8) Communities in conflict with Anglo American in Brazil

9) Commemorating the Phulbari Massacre

10) Lloyd’s of London ‘undermining global climate action’

11) News about Glencore

12) Marikana Massacre commemorations

13) Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management

14) More Tanzanian human rights victims join UK legal action against Barrick

15) Tensions reach tipping point at Amulsar gold mine in Armenia

16) Indian court refuses to allow reopening of Vedanta’s copper smelter

17) Problems with ‘green metals’ for the energy transition

Reports and online resources

Covid-19 and the End of the Modern Working Body – article from LMN member group The Cornerhouse

Jubilee for the Earth – podcast series from LMN member group the Missionary Society of St. Columban

Land, Communities and the Ecological Crisis: The impact of mining

Mothers of Invention

Right to Say No: Learning from Global Struggles

Job Vacancies

Coal Action Network is Recruiting!

CAFOD Lead Analyst – Private Sector

Amnesty International Researcher/ Adviser – Business and Human Rights

Executive director, SOMO

Events and Actions

International Resistance to Mining Film Festival

In solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement, Indigenous activists and mining affected communities across the globe, London Mining Network presents the International Resistance to Mining Film Festival. Tickets available now Films will be shown at 19:30 between 21 and 28 September 2020.

How mining companies silence and nullify the actions of Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous & Afro-Colombians living near multinational owned Cerrejon coal mine in Colombia discuss their struggle to protect their rights: webinar, Thursday, 24 September 2020, 18:30 BST

Holding Corporations to Account (Workshop)

Sunday 27 September, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm. Join international campaigners and campaigning organisations (including LMN member group Global Justice Now) for this interactive event, to explore how we can work towards more robust scrutiny, better representation and real accountability to build a world rooted in social justice and environmental sustainability, in which corporations are fully accountable to people.

Boiling Point: A COP26 Coalition Speaker Series

In this series of six one hour-long webinars you will have a chance to learn the basics of international climate change politics and the infamous COP, or “Conference of the Parties,” ahead of the COP26, scheduled to be held in Glasgow in November 2021.

Lloyd’s unfriend coal, say no to Adani

Can you add your voice now and call on Lloyd’s to rule out insurance of the Adani Carmichael and all other new coal projects?

News

1) Rio Tinto and the destruction of the Juukan Gorge Aboriginal site, Australia

Rio vows to preserve ancient Australian rock shelter after outcry over caves blast

Rio Tinto has pledged to protect a 43,000-year old rock shelter on the fringe of its Silvergrass iron ore mine in Western Australia as it reviews heritage sites following outrage over the destruction of sacred ancient caves this year.

Rio Tinto has its ethics in a real twist

Investors call for greater Rio Tinto accountability over destroyed caves

Rio Tinto approaches dire Juukan moment

As the Australian parliamentary inquiry continues into Rio Tinto’s desecration of Aboriginal Juukan gorges, its erstwhile-hidden agenda to violate other iron-rich sites is starting to emerge. Meanwhile, top company officials are suffering the loss of millions of dollars in bonuses, as the underlying fundamental question of who had the right to grant consent to May’s destruction – the company or Indigenous custodians – risks being lost amidst a heap of papers.

Rio Tinto condemned by shareholders for seeking legal advice before blowing up Juukan Gorge

Mining giant briefing lawyers three days before destroying the ancient rock shelters ‘beggars belief’

‘Divorced from reality’: Indigenous leaders back calls for ‘clean-out’ at Rio Tinto

A key group of indigenous leaders has written to Rio Tinto’s board to back investor demands for a clean-out of top executives following the destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters.

Rio Tinto CEO and senior executives resign from company after Juukan Gorge debacle

In a statement to Australian Stock Exchange the company confirms move that follows the blowing up of 46,000-year-old caves in Western Australia.

National Native Title Council welcomes Rio Tinto dismissals

The National Native Title Council (NNTC) welcomes the dismissal of Rio Tinto’s three executives, CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques, Iron Ore boss Chris Salisbury and corporate affairs boss Simone Niven, under whose leadership the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge caves were bombed in May, but warns a company staff change is only the crucial first step.

Removal of Rio Tinto CEO a welcome step towards accountability for Juukan Gorge blasting

The Human Rights Law Centre has welcomed the removal of Rio Tinto’s CEO, Jean-Sébastien Jacques, head of Corporate Relations Simone Niven and Head of Iron Ore Chris Salisbury.

Rio Tinto takes the first step to recovery

The Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR) has welcomed the exit of Rio CEO, Jean-Sébastien Jacques, head of Corporate Relations Simone Niven and Head of Iron Ore Chris Salisbury, but remains concerned at the lack of cultural understanding displayed by the company and its board — specifically in the length of time it took to address this destruction of heritage.

Rio Tinto exits seen reverberating across boardrooms

The departure of Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques over the destruction of ancient Aboriginal heritage sites in Australia has put mining executives globally on notice – ignore cultural and social issues at your peril.

More than 100 Aboriginal sacred sites – some dating before the ice age – could be destroyed by mining companies

Traditional owners reveal their fears for ancient sites, including rock shelters with painted walls and scar trees

2) Other Rio Tinto news

SEC to examine Rio Tinto whistleblower claims over Oyu Tolgoi

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is examining claims from a whistleblower that Rio Tinto was aware of problems at its underground copper mine extension project of Oyu Tolgoi in Mongolia months before the miner confirmed the project would face delays and higher costs.

Rio Tinto – don’t dodge the questions! A joint response

On 13 May, eight organisations that put questions to Rio Tinto at its London AGM on 8 April wrote an open letter to Rio Tinto’s Chief Executive Office, Jean-Sebastien Jacques, because we had not received adequate answers. Eventually, most of us received further answers – but they were still completely inadequate. So we have written again to the company, demanding greater openness.

3) News about BHP

BHP 30% by 2030 emissions reduction target fails to impress

BHP unveiled details of a revamped strategy to cut operational emissions by 30% by 2030 from this year’s levels, but it stopped short of tackling Scope 3 emissions — those generated indirectly when consumers burn or process its oil, coal or iron ore.

BHP to be challenged over Aboriginal heritage preservation

Hot on the heels of Rio Tinto’s widely-condemned destruction of Australia’s Juukan Gorge Aboriginal sacred site, a civil society group is calling on BHP (the world’s largest mining company) to make amends at its forthcoming annual general meeting.

Banjima people caught up in BHP’s Pilbara mine expansion say they were forced to ‘trade away’ heritage

A Senate inquiry has heard statements from Indigenous elders who risk losing up to 86 significant sites to the mining giant’s operations

Water rights under scrutiny in Chile’s Atacama Desert

Mining companies sifting northern Chile’s Atacama Desert for copper, lithium, and other minerals are increasingly finding water is their most precious resource. Their ability to exercise water rights is increasingly being challenged by environmentalists, farmers and the authorities who say the huge expansion of mining activity and climate change have shrunk water supplies.

Environmental Groups Ask Ecuador´s Highest Court to Protect Los Cedros, Enforce Constitutional ‘Rights of Nature’

Environmental groups filed a legal brief urging the Constitutional Court of Ecuador to halt all mining concessions in the Los Cedros protected forest, a global “Key Biodiversity Area.”

Revealed: Vale and BHP accused of pocketing money that should grant aid after Brazil’s worst environmental disaster

Brazilian researchers had exclusive access to examine a whistleblower report received by the Minas Gerais Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPMG), which raises the suspicion that the mining companies Vale and BHP Billiton are staging a dodge to save billions where the biggest environmental disaster in Brazil took place.

BHP asks UK court to dismiss class-action lawsuit over the 2015 Samarco dam failure, citing existing Brazilian compensation scheme

Anglo-Australian miner BHP dismissed as pointless and wasteful a 5 billion pound ($6.3 billion) English lawsuit by 200,000 Brazilian people and groups over the 2015 collapse of a dam that triggered Brazil’s worst environmental disaster.

Unions call on BHP to respect health and safety

IndustriALL’s BHP network is urging the company to respect the right to occupational health and safety at all its global operations during the Covid-19 crisis.

BHP broadens plans to exit coal operations

The world’s biggest miner is accelerating the sale or spinoff of interests in mines in Australia and Colombia, and it’s planning to shed two coking coal operations and a share in an Exxon Mobil-controlled oil and gas business.

Who’s in the bigger hole when an ethical investor divests from BHP?

The mining giant releases full-year results this week, but Britain’s biggest pension fund will no longer care.

4) Coal mine plan rejected in north east England

Druridge Bay opencast coal mine rejected

Late on the 8th September 2020, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government said that Banks Group will not be allowed to extract coal from Highthorn, close to Druridge Bay, Northumberland. Save Druridge, the local community group, are delighted.

Campaigners Celebrate Government Rejection of Druridge Bay Coal Mine

Campaigners are celebrating a “massive victory” after plans to extract nearly three million tonnes of coal from Northumberland’s Druridge Bay were rejected once again.

Environmental groups claim victory as plans for Northumberland coalmine rejected

Planning permission refused for ‘environmentally unacceptable’ mine near Druridge Bay

5) Questions to Beowulf

British company Beowulf has been trying for years to start mining iron ore in the ancestral territory of the indigenous Sámi people in northern Sweden. Beowulf held its 2020 AGM behind closed doors on 10 September. We submitted questions on behalf of Sámi colleagues.

6) News of Cerrejón Coal (owned by Anglo American, BHP and Glencore)

Union on Strike Refusing ‘Death Shift’ at Latin America’s Largest Coal Mine

The union is resisting company attempts to reduce the workforce by 25%, impose potentially dangerous new shift patterns and reduce or end several employee benefits.

Why are workers at Cerrejon Coal on strike?

Workers at the mine have been on strike since 31 August. This article is a summary of Comunique 27 from Sintracarbon mine workers’ union, En blanco y negro: ¿Por qué estamos en huelga? dated 1 September 2020.

Solidarity with workers at Cerrejon faced with ‘shift of death’

On 3 August 2020, LMN and member groups Colombia Solidarity Campaign and TerraJusta, together with allies in Europe and North America, wrote to Cerrejon Coal and its multinational owners Anglo American, BHP and Glencore, to express our support for mine workers’ union Sintracarbon in its current dispute with Cerrejon management over new shift patterns that the company wants to impose.

Colombia: legal intervention to protect Arroyo Bruno

Colombian Caravana and ABColombia, with the help of LMN and member group Colombia Solidarity Campaign, have filed an Amicus Curiae before a Colombian Court to assist in the process of the enforcement of a Constitutional Court ruling.

7) Petra Diamonds and human rights abuse in Tanzania

Petra Diamonds accused of human rights abuses in Tanzania

Struggling Petra Diamonds, which put itself up for sale in June, is facing allegations of human rights abuses at its Williamson mine in Tanzania resulting from the actions of its security guards.

RAID statement on its research at Petra Diamonds’ Williamson Mine in Tanzania

This statement is published in response to a press release by Petra Diamonds on 9 September informing its shareholders of a legal claim by UK lawyers, Leigh Day, on behalf of human rights victims and a letter RAID sent to the company on August 29 raising further human rights concerns.

8) Communities in conflict with Anglo American in Brazil

Protests against Anglo American in Brazil

Members of communities affected by Anglo American’s Minas Rio iron ore operations in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, blocked roads in protest against the company’s withdrawal of funding for independent technical advice.

Legal struggle with Anglo American hots up in Brazil

Communities affected by Anglo American’s Minas Rio iron ore mine blocked roads in protest against the company’s withdrawal of funding of independent technical advice.

9) Commemorating the Phulbari Massacre

After the massacre

Vigils in London and Bangladesh mark fourteenth anniversary of the Phulbari Massacre

Blood, Coal and the London Stock Exchange

On 26 August, activists and campaigners gathered outside the London Stock Exchange in a sombre vigil of remembrance and display of impassioned solidarity. GCM Resources PLC (formerly Asia Energy) are the British-based company behind the proposed mine. They continue to trade shares in their ‘Phulbari Coal Project’ today, despite having no valid asset to operate in Phulbari and no permission to mine anywhere in the world.

10) Lloyd’s of London ‘undermining global climate action’

Lloyd’s of London is the only major European insurer which has not committed to stop providing coverage for any fossil fuel projects.

11) News about Glencore

OECD Complaint Filed Against Glencore UK for Toxic Spill in Chad

Three human rights groups have filed a complaint with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) detailing environmental and human rights harms at Glencore’s Badila oil operations in Chad.

Glencore under fire from Yukpa Indigenous People in Cesar, Colombia

The Yukpa are demanding that Attorney General Barbosa, along with the Director of the Environmental Prosecutor’s Office, visit the places where mining companies Glencore (listed on the London Stock Exchange though headquartered in Switzerland) and Drummond (a private US company with some UK investment including from HSBC) have diverted the rivers.

12) Marikana Massacre commemorations

Eighth anniversary activities

In addition to a vigil outside South Africa House in London on Sunday 16 August, mine workers’ union AMCU presented a lecture, the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI) hosted a webinar and posted a video about the Widows of Marikana, and the new owners of the Marikana platinum mine, Sibanye Stillwater, held a commemoration which avoided calling for those responsible for the massacre to be held to account.

Marikana and South Africa: Eight years later

Reflection by Boniface Mabanza, Ecumenical Service on Southern Africa

Eight years on, still no justice

Deadly exchange of weapons and platinum profits continues between London and Marikana – article by Daniel Selwyn of Marikana Solidarity Collective.

13) Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management

Global Industry Standards of Tailings Management: Not Enough to Prevent Disaster

On 5 August 2020, the Global Tailings Review launched its new Global Industry Standards of Tailings Management (GISTM). These standards are aimed at preventing tailings disasters such as the Brumadinho collapse of January 2019, but in our eyes and the eyes of many of our friends and allies, they do not do enough to protect mining-affected communities.

Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management puts communities at the forefront

LMN reports that, when the GTR made a draft of its standards available for comment at the beginning of this year, international environmental, solidarity and human rights groups voiced a number of concerns.

14) More Tanzanian human rights victims join UK legal action against Barrick

Three more Tanzanian victims have joined a legal claim in British courts against Barrick Gold subsidiaries for serious human rights violations at the company’s North Mara gold mine in northern Tanzania. Barrick’s subsidiaries have now been served with the proceedings relating to the new claims with the final documents being served on 7 August.

15) Tensions reach tipping point at Amulsar gold mine in Armenia

As tensions reach a tipping point at Amulsar gold mine, what next for the EBRD?

In early August, Armenian protestors who had been blocking access continuously for the past two years to the controversial Amulsar gold mine were forcibly removed by the mine’s newly-hired security detail.

Protests erupt around Armenian gold mine over potential environmental impacts; EBRD terminates investment; UK & US pressure govt. to finish construction

Timeline of the dispute over the Amulsar gold mine from Business and Human Rights Resource Centre

16) Indian court refuses to allow reopening of Vedanta’s copper smelter

An Indian court refused to allow the reopening of Vedanta’s south Indian copper smelter, more than two years after it was closed because of pollution concerns that triggered violent protests.

17) Problems with ‘green metals’ for the energy transition

Europe’s scramble for minerals comes home

The European Commission risks causing an explosion in new mining projects across the bloc as part of its raw materials strategy, with serious environmental consequences.

Mining ‘green metals’ may increase pressure on key biodiversity areas – study

A study led by researchers at the University of Queensland found that protected areas, key biodiversity areas and the world’s remaining wilderness would be under growing pressure from mining the minerals and metals required for a clean energy transition.

Eight mines the size of Glencore’s Katanga needed to meet battery metals demand – report

Nearly 800 kt LCE of additional lithium would need to come online in the next five years to meet the needs of the battery sector, a new report by Wood Mackenzie states. “Scrap supply will become increasingly important as we move further out beyond 2030 but there will be no magic pill over the coming years,” the executive said. “With so many challenges surrounding a supply increase, Wood Mackenzie says a more likely alternative may be to reduce the demand for these critical battery materials.”

The Dark Side of Green Energy

As the world moves away from fossil fuels, Al Jazeera looks at how greener energies are creating new environmental challenges.

Papua New Guinea’s approach to deep sea mining is ‘chaotic and uncoordinated’, all licences must be cancelled

Local communities across the Bismarck and Solomon Seas accuse the PNG Government of sending mixed messages about deep sea mining, describing the Government’s approach as ‘chaotic and uncoordinated’.

Reports and online resources

Covid-19 and the End of the Modern Working Body – article from LMN member group The Cornerhouse

The vast territory of transnational capitalism is partly constituted by particular kinds of human bodies. One of those bodies is the body of the wage worker.

Jubilee for the Earth – podcast series from LMN member group the Missionary Society of St. Columban

Over the course of six episodes, we’ll explore the beauty of biodiversity and the threats it faces. We’ll travel around the world to hear from Columbans who are working to renew the face of the Earth. Grounded in Catholic Social Teaching, we hope that this podcast will help us all to see how caring for our common home is fundamental to our lives as people of faith and as global citizens.

Land, Communities and the Ecological Crisis: The impact of mining

LMN groups contributed to this webinar hosted by the People’s Land Policy

Mothers of Invention

Mothers of Invention gives focus to black, brown and indigenous women and girls around the world pioneering ways to withstand and innovate around climate change.

Right to Say No: Learning from Global Struggles

First in a series of webinars run by the Thematic Social Forum on establishing communities’ right to say no to mining.

Job Vacancies

Coal Action Network is Recruiting!

Campaigner (Maternity Cover) Part-time, Freelance, to work October 2020 – April/May 2021

CAFOD Lead Analyst – Private Sector

CAFOD is looking for a Lead Analyst who is passionate about working for long-term change to business practices and accompanying partners overseas to challenge unjust business practices, structures and policies that put profit before people and the environment.

Amnesty International Researcher/ Adviser – Business and Human Rights

Amnesty International is looking for an experienced human rights researcher, or journalist, or professional with extensive industry knowledge to conduct research, write a report and other materials as well as develop campaigning and advocacy strategies in relation to its ongoing work on global battery supply chains.

Executive director, SOMO

Now more than ever, the world needs evidence-based research and advocacy to challenge the power and role of multinational corporations in societies around the globe. Building from a position of strength, the executive director (ED) will lead SOMO to increase its impact, both nationally and internationally. S/he will be responsible for ensuring the organisation is well-run, and will secure a stable and more diversified funding base.