Climate activists halt operations at Takitimu coalmine
Twenty-two activists remain at a coalmine near Nightcaps in Southland, after halting the day’s operations in protest against the company’s plans for fossil fuel expansion.
Yesterday morning, 30 protesters secured themselves to machines, took to the lake on floats or transformed into giant puppets at the Takitimu coalmine, which is owned by Bathurst Resources. Police monitored the site.
The protest is aimed at Bathurst’s new projects, including exploration for coal at a Southland District Councilowned forestry block at Ohai.
Leading climate science body the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently concluded that coal use would have to fall about 75% before the end of the decade to limit global heating to 1.5C.
The council’s decision to grant an exploration permit is currently being challenged in the courts.
Extinction Rebellion activist Erik Kennedy said that in the ‘‘game of profit or planet’’, Bathurst consistently chooses profit. ‘‘Instead of letting their mines reach the end of their natural lives, they try to open more mines.’’
Takitimu has a ‘‘limited’’ lifespan, he said. ‘‘If Bathurst is able to mine at this new site . . . [it] could be pulling coal out of the ground for a decade or more.’’
He said it was time to hold Bathurst to account. ‘‘You can’t be expanding operations at a time like this.’’
The miners themselves were not the focus of the protest, Kennedy said.
The Government had failed if communities such as Nightcaps felt there were limited career options outside of fossil fuel extraction, he said.
No-one had created a plan to help these workers transition, he added.
Kennedy said ‘‘a very angry man with a dog’’ had visited the site, but otherwise the community hadn’t engaged with protesters beyond coming to view the scene. The group had organised liaisons to speak with members of Nightcaps, although the police had blocked entry to the mine after they arrived in the morning.
Over the course of the day, seven protesters left. Another 22 remained, Kennedy added. He thought the action had been a success. ‘‘We try to bring a bit of joy as well as a serious message.’’
Police were monitoring the protesters’ activities, a spokesperson said yesterday morning.
The protesters have also criticised Fonterra, which burns coal to dry milk into powder. In 2020, the dairy giant converted one coal boiler in Te Awamutu to burn on wood pellets. This year, another small site will switch from coal to wood.
Fonterra aims to end coal use by 2037, which aligned with the Climate Change Commission’s draft path to reach net zero by 2050. Asked about the need for global coal use to fall by roughly 75% by 2030 for a 50:50 chance of achieving 1.5C, Fonterra said it planned to reduce its coal use by 60% to 70% by the end of the decade.
Fonterra chief operating officer Fraser Whineray said the plan to switch to renewable energy took into account the resources required to make large-scale conversions. ‘‘Where new boilers are required, it takes a significant time to manufacture these.’’
Bathurst Resources did not respond to multiple requests for comment.