Abstract
The paper is an analysis of the effects of an economic project (Coal mining) taking place in a reserve (Denniston Plateau). First, a summary of the stakeholders was done and the historical context examined.
Thereafter, the report looked at the consequences of this project on all entities. It was found that consumers of the product (mainly industrialists) and the mine company will benefit.
The government will also get revenue from existence of the mine. However, these economic benefits will be offset by the environmental challenges that will stem from the mine. Problems of pollution in the local and global context will arise.
This will threaten endangered species, destabilize local inhabitants and lead to climate change through emission of carbon dioxide when burning the commodity.
Since several countries around the world will buy the coal, then this mine will affect a lot more stakeholders negatively than it will benefit them.
Context of the situation
The geographical context is Denniston Plateau, which is in the West coast of South Island, New Zealand. The area was initially a coal mining settlement with a close-knit community living there for years.
However, after the owner closed a portion of the land, known as the Denniston Incline cable railway, in 1967, residents left the area. Only one residential house can be found in the location.
Biologically, the area has diverse plant and animal species. Scientists claim that about 505 species live in the plateau. Some rare and endangered creatures are there, such as the spotted kiwi.
Velvet worms and certain reptiles are just some of the other animals that would be destroyed if the coalmine opened. Insect diversity in the location is quite noteworthy. About 77 insect species inhabit Denniston, of which the day-flying moth is part.
It should be noted that this insect belongs to four endangered moths in New Zealand. Other noted species that might be endangered are the giant land snail, the West Coast gecko, as well as the southern rat (Stephenson, 2012).
The plateau is currently a reserve for the Department of Conservation. Several entities have come together to form the ‘Friends of the Hill’ association. Former inhabitants of the plateau and national environmental bodies work together in this association to preserve the historical and biological richness of the location.
In fact, these stakeholders have converted the plateau into a tourist site where visitors can learn about life in the mine prior to its closure in 1967.
Therefore, the location has a unique cultural significance to its former inhabitants as well as to the rest of the country.
The issue
Solid Energy has proposed to construct a coal mine at a portion of Denniston plateau; approximately 200 hectares. It claims that the country will benefit from foreign exchange earnings that will stem from the production of coal in the area.
Economists approximate that a 63% increase in coal exports will occur if the commencement of the project takes place. The group also claims that it will create new jobs in the location. Further, locals will benefit from greater residential development.
The mining firm argues that few people visit the location for cultural or historical reasons, so they will not cause excessive harm to tourist activities.
On the other hand, conservation groups such as Coal Action Network affirm that Solid Energy’s claims are not valid.
They explain that while the project will create jobs, the number of employees who would benefit would be too small to justify the environmental and social disturbance.
Coal Action Network claims that less than 20 miners will get jobs, yet the presence of the coalmine will lead to increases in housing prices in the vicinity.
Those who do not work for the mine will have difficulties in meeting these rising costs (Penwarden, 2012).
A group of independent commissioners known as the Resource management Authority listened to arguments from both sides and made a decision on the matter.
The commissioners gave the project a go ahead, albeit under strict environmental responsibilities. The mining group will follow a strict rehabilitation plan that aims at restoring soil, water and air conditions during and after the project.
The company must also have a hazardous substance plan, a water management plan, dust management plan, construction plan, as well as a geochemistry plan.
Protagonists
Bathurst Resources; an Australian firm is interested in mining coal at the location (Denniston Plateau). Solid Energy; a New Zealand mining company also wants to mine coal at a corresponding location; Stockton Plateau.
Solid Energy is a stakeholder in this case because it is in the same category as Bathurst Resources in the hearings. Solid Energy’s arguments reflect Bathurst’s interests, as well.
The government is also another protagonist in the case. It is responsible for passing subsidies in coal mining activities. It has also passed laws to the effect of ensuring that resource consent applicants do not consider climate-related arguments.
This has the effect of giving mining companies such as Bathurst an upper hand in these matters. The government has stakes in the case because fossil fuels in the country are diminishing. It wants to capitalize on them prior to their end.
New Zealand’s government is interested in strengthening the economy through the coal industry as well as through industries that depend on these fuels. One can see this through the subsidies that the government gives the dairy industry on its emissions.
The presence of the coalmine directly affects the West Coast Regional Council. Economic activities from its presence will benefit the council in terms of taxes collected and the economic ramifications of the same.
The coal firm will make a series of payments to the Council in order to facilitate some of the regulatory requirements, and this will also be a source of revenue for it. It would be quite beneficial to the local authority if coal mining started in the Plateau.
What will happen if the project commences
Coal mining displaces vegetation and changes the natural characteristics of a location. Denniston Plateau is home to a diverse array of biological life. Mining could cause an imbalance in the ecosystem by leading to the destruction of some of the food sources for these species.
If the project succeeds, a habitat for the following species would be destroyed: Apteryx haastii, Chionochloa juncea, Powelliphanta patrickensis, Naultinus tuberculatus, Dracophyllum densum, and Metrosideros parkinsonii. All these species are either declining or in danger of extinction.
The destruction of their habitat cannot be reversed because even though the mining company opts to rehabilitate the land after completion of the project; these species will eventually be lost.
Therefore, conservationists such as Forest & Bird and West Coast Environment Network will also lose because they wanted to protect the interests of species in the location.
In fact, their appeal against the protagonists illustrates that they aggressively opposed the project; they would be losers in the process.
The above mentioned effect would affect people around the world because New Zealand is unique in terms of biodiversity and the species that it harbors.
Bathurst Resources will export about 4.1 million tones of coal annually to several locations around the world. It is likely that about 200 million tones of CO2 will enter the atmosphere when consuming the mine’s coal.
Concerns over climate change were rife during the hearings, and they will become a reality if coal production takes place at the Plateau. Bathurst will be exporting coal to some countries that do not care about climate issues.
Several of them are not signatories of the Kyoto protocol, so they will not care about their rate of pollution or how badly they affect the environment (Robertson, 2012).
Pollution in target countries must also be seen through the climate-change lens. When coal is burnt, it contributes significantly to the amount of greenhouses gases in the atmosphere.
This leads to ozone depletion and thus global warming. Unlike other sources of carbon dioxide, coal is one of the dirtiest sources of energy in the world. The amount it produces is disproportionately larger than what other sources, such as car exhaust, contribute.
Furthermore, most developed nations use coal to power steam engines and generators. These are all enormous projects that require a high amount of coal.
Since it is the source of coal, New Zealand will contribute to global warming or climate change by starting this vicious cycle.
Challenges of pollution in the immediate environment must also be considered. The actual mining process will result in the production of dust in the plateau and surrounding areas.
While the mining firm will take some measures to prevent the spread of these particles into the atmosphere, it is likely that some of it will still get to the air and pollute it.
The particles stem from drilling processes, coal crushing and wind that spreads them over a large portion. The company needs to invest in dust collection systems in order to minimize the prevalence of these particulates in the air.
However, it will not control all of the particulates, so some of them may spread to neighboring areas in the location. One must also consider the effect of coal dust on miners. Individuals who live in the location may develop black lung disease.
This disorder often leads to development of lung cancer, but even in its original form, miners must learn how to live with the ailment as no cure exists (World Coal Association, 2009).
Pollution will also occur in the form of land disturbance. Prior to opening up of a coal mine in any area, scientists must carry out an analysis of the prevailing conditions and how the mine might alter these conditions.
Government authorities must know the level of land disturbance that will take place prior to issuing of a mining permit. If Bathurst establishes a coalmine in this setting, then chances are that the mine will tamper with ground and surface water levels in the plateau.
This area will also change the soil characteristics and hence the vegetation that grew in it. If there were a large settlement of people in the location, then they would lose a substantial portion of their food resources.
However, since only one residential house can be found in the location, then land disturbance will result in alteration of vegetation type. Conservationists and locals who valued the biodiversity of the vegetation in this area will lose out.
It is likely that there will be barren patches left on the land and irreparable damage. Tourists who came to the Plateau to enjoy the scenery will have nothing to see any more.
Additionally, soil erosion may make the place susceptible to dust storms thus affecting all locals who live nearby.
In other circumstances, the project can lead to mine subsidence. Bathurst Resources will be mining millions of tones of coal from Denniston Plateau.
This means that removal of the raw material will result in existence of an underground vacuum. Land on the surface can lower as a result of this space thus resulting in mine subsidence.
Therefore, it will undermine land use for the locals if they ever plan on using that resource in the future. While local authorities have already anticipated this process and placed strict rules on how the challenge can be minimized. It is still true that not all surface lowering will disappear, and this will affect locals negatively.
The problem of water pollution cannot be ignored when discussing the effects of the project. A coal mining project is one that places a lot of pressure on water resources in the concerned region.
Bathurst Resources will place an additional demand on water, yet locals also rely on it. Unless the coalmine company commits itself to the use of recycled water, it may compete with members of the West Coast Regional Council with regard to the resource.
Additionally, water pollution may result from the mine because it contains sediments and other pollutants. Therefore, the company will need to invest in a treatment plant.
However, the treatment process will not be 100% efficient, and this may lead to water pollution of nearby locations. In relation to the above mentioned challenge is the problem of acid mine drainage.
This refers to acidic water that stems from metals in drainage water reacting with sulfur-containing rocks. The overall product may manifest as surface run off and could cause heavy metals like mercury to appear in the surface or ground water.
Acid mine drainage can also affect the local habitat in that location and thus affect biodiversity (Tiwary, 2001).
One cannot ignore the issue of noise pollution when analyzing the effects of coal mining. Although this problem is minor, it is still worth noting.
Local residents, especially families of the miners must contend with this disturbance for as long as the mine continues to operate.
Local populations may also be in danger of flooding if the coal mine opens. Bathurst will release high volumes of semi solid waste. The company will build a dam to handle this wastewater efficiently.
However, in some parts of the world, dams have opened and contributed to deadly floods. This is a typical example of an environmental disaster that the project can create.
In addition to the above, the coal mine could also put the locality at risk of fire. Coal is highly flammable, and if a fire starts inside the mine, then it can last for extremely long periods of time. In the mean time, it could release toxic fumes in the surrounding community.
In essence, the only winners will be the owners of the coal mine and the few employees who work for them. Government authorities may also benefit through revenue collection.
The coal production and export industry is highly profitable, so Bathurst Resources will enjoy immense returns from the investment. Consumers of the product would also benefit from a cheap source of energy.
Conclusion
If coal mining takes place at Denniston Plateau, it would only benefit a handful of people; government authorities, local authorities, and industrial owners.
On the flipside, it would cause immense harm to the local and global environment through land disturbance and pollution during production and use of the product.
References
Penwarden, R. (2012). Mt. William North: Sharon McGarry did not save the day. Web.
Robertson, C. (2012). NZ Climate legislation in disarray. Web.
Stephenson, K. (2012). Mining company has legal victory. Web.
Tiwary, R. (2001). Environmental impact of coal mining on water regime and its management. Water, Air and Soil Pollution Journal, 132(2), 185-199.
World Coal Association (2009). Coal mining and the environment. Web.