The Australian Environment minister has approved a third extension for a coal mine amid a series of concerns on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions. The latest extension would occur throughout the Magoola Thermal coal mine in New South Wales and it will lead to extensions at the Whitehaven Coal mine and Wollongong Coal mine starting in Sept.
The extension at the site would allow the mine to produce another 52 million tonnes of coal. Many environmental activists are speaking out against the move as Glencore as a mining system will contribute to .00073% of our total global emissions yearly. The mine will create 100 jobs and maintain ongoing employment for 400 employees throughout the project. The expansion was named as a result of a 5 year consultation into the viability of the project.
Even with the controversy, Australia remains the largest coal exporter in the world. In the year 2020, the exported value of coal was generating 54.62 bn. Australia has also neglected to complete the commitments for net zero carbon emissions like so many other mines in the industry. Many companies are now committed to hitting a net zero carbon emission by the year 2050.
The decision to expand the mining sites should lead to some pressure on politicians throughout Australia. Climate change experts and activists suggest that the decision is alarming and a refusal to take sustainability seriously.
Continuing to fund fossil fuel programs and to introduce grants to Australian gas power and coal power will likely continue to benefit an out-dated economic system. It may take some time to create the changes that are needed to help these mines focus on climate change and reducing emissions in their operations.
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This post was written by Justin Tidd, Director at Becker Mining Communications! For over 15 years, Becker Communications has been the industry’s leader in underground radio electrical mining communication systems. As they expanded into surface mining, railroads, and tunneling they added wireless communication systems, handheld radios, tagging and tracking systems, as well as gas monitoring.
