Communities Opposed to New Coal at Hunterston
Human Rights issues connected with coal:
Columbia University: Mailman School of Public Health
Closure of Coal-Burning Power Plant in China Directly Linked to Improved Cognitive Development in Children
Study Shows Benefits of Closing Plants on Early Childhood NeurodevelopmentObserver Online
Observer investigation uncovers link between dramatic rise in birth defects in Punjab and pollution from coal-fired power station
India's generation of children crippled by uranium wasteCountry Doctor
“Should named politicians who pass unsafe applications be forced to compensate? ”
Dr Dick van Steenis MB BS
Thirteen years of peer-reviewed research into industrial air pollution (including opencasting) with its consequential health damage of illness and premature deaths.
Coal opencasting and healthHuman Rights abuse allegations re. coal mining companies
Inter-Press service
Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada invited Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, chairman of Anglo American plc, the world's second largest mining company, to address a packed house about ‘Sustainability Challenges for Extractive Industries Operating Globally’.
Controversy Dogs Coal Operations in Colombia“While you are getting a good standard of life, we Wayuu are eating food contaminated with coal.
When you have money in your bank accounts, why are our people living in worse conditions?”
- Karmen Ramirez,
Wayuu from Colombia
London Mining Network
Holding the mining industry to account
Submission to UK ParliamentPublic meeting on BHP Billiton in Colombia
World’s largest mining company challenged at AGM
Colombia Solidarity Network
Coal mining and forced displacement in Colombia: the British connection
Fighting for Peace with JusticeInstitute of Southern Studies
In a case that gives a whole new meaning to the term “dirty coal”, a federal lawsuit filed against the Drummond Co. of Birmingham, Ala. alleges that the coal company paid millions of dollars to a Colombian paramilitary terrorist group responsible for the deaths of 67 people in an effort to disrupt union activities at its South American mine and railway operations.
Alabama coal mining company sued over slain Colombian unionistsGizzacroggy
A blog which is a writing project is a collection of stories, experiences and thoughts about different aspects of Colombia. The link leads to five writings related to coal.
Privileged InsightsMining, Minerals and Sustainable Development
An academic study based on mining operations in Indonesia by Dr Chris Ballard The Australian National University Canberra, Australia
Human Rights and the Mining Sector in Indonesia: A Baseline Study (pdf)Fighting Hunger with Human Rights
of Jharkhand (India) is destroying the resources of food and water of the original inhabitants of these areas, mainly Adivasis (indigenous people), of more than 200 villages. The region has extremely fertile land which is now being converted into a mining site, taking away vital farming land and forests, and polluting the Damodar River, which is the lifeline of the area. This means a gross violation of the Adivasis' right to food - and hunger and malnutrition for them in the future.
India: Opencast coal mining destroys the livelihood of indigenous peopleAppalachian Voices
One of the greatest environmental and human rights catastrophes in American history is underway just southwest of our nation's capital. In the coalfields of Appalachia, individuals, families and entire communities are being driven off their land by flooding, landslides and blasting resulting from mountaintop removal coal mining.
Mountaintop Removal Coal MiningPredicted explosion in West Virginia Killed 29 miners - April 2010
On 5th April 2010, an explosion 300m deep in Upper Big Branch Mine, owned by Massey Energy, in West Virginia killed
29 miners. In 2009, the Mine Safety and Health Administration cited the UBB mine 515 times, often for problems with its ventilation and escape-route plans. Some 48 of the citations were for violations deemed likely to lead to serious injury or illness.
This is not the first time that Massey — the fourth-largest coal company in America — has come under fire for its
safety practices. In 2006 two people died in a fire at the Aracoma mine, which Massey owns and which was found to have inadequate water supplies and poor ventilation. Massey paid $4.2m in criminal and civil fines. In 2008 Massey paid $20m in fines levied by the Environmental Protection Agency for clean-water violations.
What caused America‘s worst mining accident in 25 years? (The Economist)
Two Mines Show How Safety Practices Vary Widely (New York Times)
Change.org
With the world‘s focus turning to environmental worries, particularly during this Earth Day week, we are rightly concerned about the carbon cost of coal and seeking cleaner forms of energy. However, in our pre-occupation with the environmental harms produced by mining and burning coal, we should not forget the human cost of coal — the miners who suffer daily in bringing this substance to the surface.
The human cost of coalThe South Asian
The Phulbari coal mine in Bangladesh, proposed by GCM Resources Plc, is set to cause major social and environmental upheavals in the region, displacing upwards of 50 000 residents. Despite strong local opposition, investors UBS, RAB Capital and Barclays continue to back GCM with significant shareholdings. (2007)
Human Rights Concerns Over Bangladeshi MinesIndigenous Peoples: Issues and Resources
Local opposition demands the immediate cancellation of Sultan Energy Philippines Corporation's (SEPC) Coal Operating Contract (COC) in Barangay Ned, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. Yellen Zata, chairperson of Hublag Kontra Mina (HUKOM) based in Barangay Ned asserts that SEPC was not able to secure an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) within a year after the contract was awarded.
Coal Mining In Lake Sebu, South Cotabato Opposed By Environmental And Local GroupsNB: there are many other links to human rights issues related to mining in general at the bottom of this page.
Synthesis/Regeneration
There is one very good but little-known reason to oppose carbon offsets: their immediate and dire human costs. Offset opponents have always maintained that using them to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is like trying to lose weight by paying someone else to go on a diet. But I argue that even more critical is that fact that such proxy schemes present human dangers on both sides of the equation ... The trail of carbon offsets might be washed in green, but from start to finish it is lined with human rights violations.
Double Jeopardy: Carbon Offsets and Human Rights Abuses
General Mining/Human Rights issues worldwide
World Mining Exploration News
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in Ghana has recommended to government to set up an independent committee to undertake a cost-benefit analysis of the mining industry to the national economy. The Committee should specifically investigate the impact of mining on the environment and health with a view of establishing whether in reality the mining industry in its current state is beneficial to the nation.
Ghana: CHRAJ Calls for Cost-Benefit Analysis On Mining
