Nannas were speakers at the high-energy rally against Whitehaven Coal, we learnt lots at the Smart Energy Conference, while 80-year-old Nanna Alanah completed a 5km run.
Whitehaven Coal Rally
Nannas joined a rally convened by Move Beyond Coal outside Parliament House on Wednesday, 9 April. The purpose of the rally was to draw attention to Whitehaven Coal’s criminal conviction in the Land and Environment Court for a blast incident at Maules Creek Mine. Whitehaven’s lawyers were in the court trying to minimise the sentence to be imposed by the court. Whitehaven are repeat offenders and have been prosecuted for illegal clearing and stealing 1B litres of water in a drought, polluting waterways.
Three Nannas spoke at the rally. Nanna Eury’s speech linked Whitehaven’s current prosecution to the flawed NSW planning system and the enormous social impacts of coal mining on the communities where they operate. Here’s an extract:
Nannas Gill and Bron spoke about their personal history with Whitehaven going back to the Leard Forest Blockade against Whitehaven’s Maules Creek Mine in 2014, when they joined the action and were arrested for blocking roads into the mine site. They stayed at the Wando camp described here by Gill:
While in the Boggabri region, the Nannas met local farmers and Gomeroi Traditional Owners and learnt how deeply angry both groups were about mining’s impacts on their water and culture. Whitehaven’s attempts to divide and disrupt communities in their own interests were having major social impacts, too.
Soon afterwards, the Blockade failed, and Whitehaven went ahead with the destruction of much of the forest. They smashed through Aboriginal heritage sites including an ancient permanent water source known as Lawler’s Well, a place well known to be sacred to the Gomeroi people.
At that time, the UN Secretary, Ban Ki Moon, was issuing a dire warning that burning fossil fuels needed to stop because of global warming and climate change, a message ignored by both the miners and the government.
Last month, the two Nannas returned to the area for a conference and field trip run by the Wando Conservation and Cultural Centre. The piles of discarded earth referred to as ‘overburden’ were many times bigger than they had been in 2014. The reason for this became obvious when they saw the coal seam revealed in cross-section, a thin strip of black under a whole hillside, just waiting to be blasted away to become a mountain of rubble and dust.
Whitehaven is trying to gain permission for a massive new development in the Leard. They want to mine land previously bought for biodiversity offsets and destroy remnants of the Leard Forest, which is still providing habitat for endangered species, including the swift parrot.
Nannas are hoping the penalty for the blast incident is closer to the $1M maximum, than the paltry $15,000 they have been fined for some of their previous offences.
Smart Energy Conference
Several Nannas attended the Smart Energy Conference at the Convention Centre in Darling Harbour on 9-10 April. There was SO MUCH to learn from many great speakers. A recurring theme from the few politicians who spoke and many industry and media presenters was that we are at a sliding-doors moment in the climate emergency and the energy transition.
The Palau president, Surangel Whipps Jr., strongly supported having COP31 in the Pacific as an opportunity to focus on oceans. He reminded Chris Bowen that supporting the people of the Pacific means not approving new coal and gas projects. “You might as well bomb us and stop the torture,” he said.
Renewable energy zones (REZs)
Social licence and social value for traditional owners, host communities and the broader community are key factors in developing projects in the REZs.
The core elements of social licence for developments are trust and long-term (formalised) relationships, engagement and participation, creation of partnerships, collaborations and advocates.
Wind, solar and transmission projects need to have long-term community benefits. Examples of social values include long-term housing from short-term accommodation for construction workers, career opportunities in renewables for young people and allocating electricity generated to the community as a credit on energy bills.
Solar stewardship/circular solutions
Huge amounts of e-waste are generated by Australians every year, including vast numbers of solar panels that are regularly replaced. The Basel Convention update becomes effective in September and requires countries to process their own e-waste rather than to ship it to poorer countries.
E-waste contains highly valuable resources that we can’t afford to bury in landfill. In 2022, about $US80B of copper was buried in landfill. In a few decades, we may be digging up landfill to recover and reprocess resources.
There is a pending ban on putting solar panels into landfill. Australia has strong R&D, innovation and intellectual property in recycling and reuse of solar panels, with most contents able to be recycled, but silver is imbedded in layers which is hard to extract. Currently recycling costs outweigh materials recovery, and the technology may only become commercially viable when more old solar panels are replaced.
Many solar panels are automatically replaced after a certain number of years, even though they are still perfectly functional. Second Life Solar tests and repurposes them, to replace diesel generators in the South Pacific, or to provide temporary power.
V2G – Vehicle to Grid Technology
Electric vehicles (EVs) with V2G capability can not only draw power from the grid but also supply power back to it. Australia has the most advanced two-way grid in the world. V2G chargers will be available in Australia from mid 2025. Many EVs coming into the market are V2G capable.
Greenwashing
Companies are scared about being associated with the wrong kind of story, so they have stopped a lot of sustainability schemes altogether, on the grounds that doing nothing will avoid being criticised for any difficulties or mistakes in projects.
We should support companies that are investing in renewables and doing their best to get good outcomes.
Election 2025
80-year-old former doctor, Nanna Alanah, was one of 25 octogenarians to finish a 5km park run in Sydney’s western suburbs on 4 April. Her neighbourhood is typically 6-10 degrees hotter than the rest of Sydney because of climate change.
Update on NSW coal mine expansions
The next coal mining project to move to the next stage of assessment is expected to be the extension of Moolarben open cut mine near Mudgee. Yancoal’s plan is to mine a further 40 million tonnes of coal over the next decade – a threat to the climate and our emissions reduction targets. In addition, the mine would clear over 600ha of native vegetation, destroying the habitat of endangered species, including koalas and regent honeyeaters.
Tour of Wollar and Mudgee area
Mudgee Coal Alert is arranging a tour of the Wollar and Mudgee area for people who want to meet up with locals and see for themselves the current huge mining operations and learn about the alternatives. There will be a visit to the Great Dripping Wall, a natural wonder and tourist attraction threatened by coal mining. Watch this space for the date of the tour – likely to be 17 and 18 May.
The Hunter Valley Operations coal projects near Singleton were taken out of the planning system last year due to concern about the impact of the projected massive emissions on the Net Zero legislated targets. The company is expected to lodge an amended project this year.
Reports on Net Zero targets
At a recent public hearing, the report from the independent Net Zero Commission was discussed by the parliament’s cross-party committee responsible for oversight of the Commission’s work. The next step will be the government response, expected to be provided by Minister Penny Sharpe in May.
Nannas are watching
The Sunday Shot, a new weekly political analysis program. This week the show was about a “vast right-wing conspiracy”. Lucy Hamilton and The Klaxon’s Anthony Klan join with hosts Jo Dyer and Dave Milner to explore the shockingly wide reach of the Atlas Network and the sinister way it propagates messages in support of its own commercial and political interests.
Nannas are listening
Nanna Bernie’s interview about the Knitting Nannas on Radio Adelaide (Radio 101.5 Adelaide)
Lab Notes: How to decommission a nuclear power plant (ABC RN Podcast)
Nannas are reading
Gomeroi Traditional Owners vow to continue fighting Santos to protect Country (Market Forces)
US LNG is crippled as Australia seizes $US1.5B trade overnight (Pearls & Irritations)
Climate Council Choice Awards: solar, wind and storage projects that set the bar. Across Australia, amazing renewable energy and storage projects at all scales are creating new job pathways for Australians, lowering people’s power bills, empowering First Nations communities and revitalising essential community infrastructure and services. (Climate Council)
Conservation group cleared to take legal action against NSW Forestry Corp (ABC News)
Not enough water available for Coalition’s nuclear proposal to run safely, report finds (The Guardian)
Where is the ‘mature debate’ about the health impacts of nuclear power? Informed consent matters (Pearls and Irritations)
You know our environmental laws are broken, when a coal mine makes 1000 times what it costs to pollute (The New Daily)
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