Climate change in court

Last month, Chief Justice Preston of the New South Wales Land and Environment Court handed down what has been heralded as a landmark decision dismissing on appeal the proposal of Gloucester Resources to construct a new open-cut coal mine in the state’s Hunter Valley.

The Chief Justice found that “all anthropogenic
GHG emissions contribute to climate change”. 

The Chief Justice found that as well as creating unacceptable impacts for local residents, the proposed Rocky Hill Coal Project would adversely impact upon measures to limit dangerous anthropogenic climate change.

Dismissing the notion that has been relied upon in Australian courts in previous cases that one mine in Australia represents only a small fraction of global emissions, he found that all of the direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the Rocky Hill Coal Project will negatively impact on the environment, since “all anthropogenic GHG emissions contribute to climate change”.

Read the Pursuit story from the University of Melbourne - “Climate change in court.”

Hunter Valley's Bylong River could 'dry up' as department ignores advice of NSW Water Office

A large foreign-owned mine planned for prime agricultural land in the NSW Hunter Valley could cause the Bylong River and local creeks to "dry up", according to an assessment by the NSW Water Office obtained under freedom of information laws.

The Bylong Valley is an area of the Hunter yet to be mined.

A series of stark warnings from government water experts, including that the mine would salinate the aquifer beyond limits of current policy for at least a century, appear to have either not been communicated to the Department of Planning and Environment, or ignored by it, because the project has been recommended to proceed.

The documents were requested under NSW FOI laws by a company owned by the family of disgraced former Labor power-broker Eddie Obeid, but made their way to anti-coal group Lock The Gate.

Read the story by Michael Slezak from ABC News - “Hunter Valley's Bylong River could 'dry up' as department ignores advice of NSW Water Office.”

After a downpour, where does all the water go?

Slowly and steadily a great flood is trickling its way across the outback.

Floodwater from a number of river systems
 drain into Lake Eyre in Central Australia.

Birdsville is being surrounded and the Channel Country is finally living up to its name.

In March great torrents of water crashed down on the tropical coasts and the Hunter Valley also had a drenching.

Why are these systems so different and why do some floods happen fast and others slow?

To work it out, you need to understand how the waters flow across this wide brown land.

Read the ABC News story by Kate Doyle - “After a downpour, where does all the water go?”

NSW farmers urged to plan for dry season as lack of rain increases pressure on landholders

A sheep and cattle farmer from the New South Wales Hunter Valley says conditions in the region have not been as dry as they currently are in almost 40 years.

Large parts of NSW are in desperate need of rain.

The observation came as farmers were urged to plan for the warmer months in a bid to mitigate the effects of the harsh conditions.

Ian MacCallum has worked the land around Moonan Flat in the Upper Hunter for 60 years.

"For the cattle industry, it is particularly bad because our cows have just calved, and we've got young calves on the ground which are this coming year's income.

Read the ABC News story - “NSW farmers urged to plan for dry season as lack of rain increases pressure on landholders.”

Australian activist Wendy Bowman wins Goldman environmental prize

Wendy Bowman, an 83-year-old farmer, has been given the Goldman environmental prize, awarded across six global regions for grassroots work. 

Wendy Bowman wins Goldman
environmental award.

For three decades Bowman has fought the march of open-cut coalmines across the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, and helped organise her community to protect agricultural land and water.

Watch The Guardian video - “Australian activist Wendy Bowman wins Goldman environmental prize – video.”

CAHA report helps us understand health penalities of coal

A

 Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) report discussing coal and health in the Hunter Valley supports its advocacy for the protection and promotion of health from the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation.

The health implications of energy policy are a key concern for the alliance and this report highlights the risks to health from particular energy choices, in this case, coal.

A woman from the Hunter Valley says, “It’s wrong that citizens should be forced to experience the emotional fall out from mining – the loss of amenity, the loss of quality of life, the loss of the future.”

The near 70-page report can be read here: “Coal and health in the Hunter: Lessons from one valley for the world”.

We must use our voice to limit the damage

Coal is the unquestioned villain in relation to greenhouse gas emissions.

And now again it appears as if the economy has trumped good sense with the Australian Government planning to capitalise on Victoria’s Latrobe Valley coal.

Latrobe Valley coal - again the
economy has trumped good sense.

Today (April 19) it was reported that a senior Gillard Government Minister saw the Latrobe Valley with its abundant coal becoming an export hub on the scale of Western Australia’s Pilbara region or New South Wales Hunter Valley.

The export of coal may seem relatively benign in relation to carbon dioxide emissions, but it is not.

The burning of coal anywhere on the planet is inappropriate and so exporting does not absolve you of responsibility, it simple means you have foisted the accountability upon another country, allowing you smile as you pocket the profits.

Maybe the cash from the coal will be comforting, but with the assurance that a snowflake would not survive in the Pilbara, we will need every cent to help the nation deal with the extreme weather events that climate change worsened by the continued burning of coal, anywhere in the world, will bring.

We might profit from the sale of coal, but we will pay dearly as extreme weather events sweep around the world.

Individually, we must use our voice to limit the damage to our atmosphere and so in whatever way we can discourage the exploitation of the Latrobe Valley coal.