NGOs and civil society from Papua New Guinea, Australia, Germany and around the world are calling for a ban on seabed mining. They challenge the development of regulations by the International Sea Bed Authority (ISA) and the German Government’s push to strengthen these regulations at a meeting in Berlin.
On the final day of the government coal phase-out consultation, we gathered with friends and allies from Friends of the Earth, London Mining Network, Biofuelwatch, Fossil Free UCL and more, in a creative demonstration to say ‘Ditch Coal Now!’
The deal set out by mining giant Rio Tinto for Bougainville is bad for the people, says NCD Governor Powes Parkop.
For decades, the gold mining industry ignored health and safety standards and exposed black workers to silicosis and tuberculosis. Class action cases are still in court, with the Supreme Court of Appeal to decide whether they can go ahead. An out-of-court settlement, however, looks likely.
The New South Wales Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) has once again rejected Anglo American’s proposed expansion of its Drayton South mine on the grounds it would cause air quality and blast noise effects which couldn’t be mitigated and “would have unacceptable negative economic and social impacts in the locality.” The PAC concluded the mine expansion – which was strongly opposed by landowner and an internationally renowned horsebreeding industry – was “not in the public interest.” Versions of the mine expansion proposal have been rejected twice by PAC and twice on appeal. Landowners are pressing the state government to permanently exclude the area from further mining. (Many thanks to Coal Wire for this summary.)
