Latest news with #environmentalDisaster
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Disaster': Senator's desperate plea to PM
The Greens are demanding a national response to the rolling waves of toxic algae bloom washing up along South Australia's coastline, calling on Anthony Albanese to declare the event a national disaster. On Monday, Greens senator Sarah Hanson Young, from South Australia, said she had written to the Prime Minister for more support to address the unfolding environmental catastrophe, which has killed and polluted marine wildlife and produced discoloured water and foam along vast stretches of the state. 'For months, the coastline in South Australia has been under attack by a toxic algal bloom,' she said. 'So far, most of the response has been led by the local community without any formal government support. 'I have written to the Prime Minister because South Australians cannot be left to deal with this environmental disaster on our own. 'If there were dead fish washing up on Bondi Beach every day, there would be a national outcry and response. 'South Australians deserve the same support from our federal government that east coast states would demand.' The toxic bloom was likely caused by three interconnected factors, the South Australian Department for Environment and Water said. First, a marine heatwave, starting in September 2024, has warmed sea temperatures about 2.5C more than normal. Second, the 2022-23 River Murray floods washed extra nutrients into the sea, and third, a cold water upwelling in the summer of 2023-24 pulled nutrient-rich water to the surface. The bloom could last for months, the department warned. It does not produce long-term harm to humans, though it can cause short-term skin or eye irritation, but it is having a devastating economic impact on the state's $500m fisheries industry. Senator Hanson-Young wants state and federal inquiries into the phenomenon and a federal support package to alleviate losses. 'Our tourism industry is already reporting mass cancellations because of people deciding not to travel and stay on the South Australian coast,' she said. 'Our industries are being crippled by this climate crisis. They need support from the government and they need it now.' Senator Hanson-Young also took aim at the 'fossil fuel industry' and argued it was responsible for the bloom. 'The climate crisis is here and it is here before our very eyes and it is creating an environmental catastrophe,' she said. 'What we need is to stop making the problem worse and to start investing in mitigation and adaptation strategies. 'Sitting on our hands and hoping it will all just wash away is not realistic. 'That's why we need a federal and state push for an inquiry … and we need to make sure there is support for industry who are going to have to struggle while this bloom sticks around.' The Coalition has flagged its support for a parliamentary inquiry into the event. A federal government spokeswoman told NewsWire on Monday afternoon the government was 'closely monitoring' the event. 'We are deeply concerned by the widespread marine species mortalities caused by this extreme event,' the spokeswoman said. 'Federal agencies continue to work closely with relevant state agencies, who are leading the response in managing and monitoring coastal waters, to remain informed and engaged on these critical issues. 'Our Government will continue to find ways to support those efforts.' The spokeswoman said the government was investing in tools to improve the country's ability to 'predict climatic events, monitor ocean conditions and guide decision-making'. 'These include the Bureau of Meteorology's Ocean Temperature Outlooks, the Integrated Marine Observing System and the Environment Information Australia Portal,' the spokeswoman said.
News.com.au
07-07-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young writes to PM for algae bloom disaster declaration
The Greens are demanding a national response to the rolling waves of toxic algae bloom washing up along South Australia's coastline, calling on Anthony Albanese to declare the event a national disaster. On Monday, Greens senator Sarah Hanson Young, from South Australia, said she had written to the Prime Minister for more support to address the unfolding environmental catastrophe, which has killed and polluted marine wildlife and produced discoloured water and foam along vast stretches of the state. 'For months, the coastline in South Australia has been under attack by a toxic algal bloom,' she said. 'So far, most of the response has been led by the local community without any formal government support. 'I have written to the Prime Minister because South Australians cannot be left to deal with this environmental disaster on our own. 'If there were dead fish washing up on Bondi Beach every day, there would be a national outcry and response. 'South Australians deserve the same support from our federal government that east coast states would demand.' The toxic bloom was likely caused by three interconnected factors, the South Australian Department for Environment and Water said. First, a marine heatwave, starting in September 2024, has warmed sea temperatures about 2.5C more than normal. Second, the 2022-23 River Murray floods washed extra nutrients into the sea, and third, a cold water upwelling in the summer of 2023-24 pulled nutrient-rich water to the surface. The bloom could last for months, the department warned. It does not produce long-term harm to humans, though it can cause short-term skin or eye irritation, but it is having a devastating economic impact on the state's $500m fisheries industry. Senator Hanson-Young wants state and federal inquiries into the phenomenon and a federal support package to alleviate losses. 'Our tourism industry is already reporting mass cancellations because of people deciding not to travel and stay on the South Australian coast,' she said. 'Our industries are being crippled by this climate crisis. They need support from the government and they need it now.' Senator Hanson-Young also took aim at the 'fossil fuel industry' and argued it was responsible for the bloom. 'The climate crisis is here and it is here before our very eyes and it is creating an environmental catastrophe,' she said. 'What we need is to stop making the problem worse and to start investing in mitigation and adaptation strategies. 'Sitting on our hands and hoping it will all just wash away is not realistic. 'That's why we need a federal and state push for an inquiry … and we need to make sure there is support for industry who are going to have to struggle while this bloom sticks around.' The Coalition has flagged its support for a parliamentary inquiry into the event.
Reuters
26-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
BHP faces UK contempt charge for funding case over Brazil dam collapse
LONDON, June 26 (Reuters) - BHP ( opens new tab faces a full contempt of court hearing in Britain for funding litigation to try to prevent some Brazilian municipalities suing the mining giant over one of Brazil's worst environmental disasters, London's High Court ruled on Thursday. Thursday's ruling is the latest development in long-running litigation over the collapse in 2015 of the Mariana dam in southeastern Brazil that was owned and operated by BHP and Vale's ( opens new tab Samarco joint venture. Judge Adam Constable said it was arguable that BHP, the world's biggest miner by market value, funded Brazilian litigation to stop the municipalities suing in London "with the purpose ... of interfering with the administration of justice". It is not yet known when the contempt hearing will take place. BHP, meanwhile, awaits judgment in a London lawsuit that the claimants' lawyers have valued at up to 36 billion pounds ($49.3 billion). A BHP spokesperson said the ruling did not determine the merits of the contempt application made by the municipalities that it "will continue to vigorously defend". Lawyers representing the claimants suing BHP – which include more than 600,000 Brazilians, 46 local governments and around 2,000 businesses – welcomed the decision as "a significant step forward in holding BHP to account". The dam burst and unleashed a wave of toxic sludge that killed 19 people, left thousands homeless, flooded forests, polluted the length of the Doce River – and led to one of the largest lawsuits in English legal history. The trial began in October and finished in March. Judgment on whether BHP can be held liable for the collapse is pending. BHP denies liability and says the case duplicates legal proceedings and reparation and repair programs in Brazil. In the trial's first week, Brazil signed a 170 billion reais ($30.6 billion) compensation agreement with BHP, Vale and Samarco.
CBC
24-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
A year after the Eagle mine failure, questions remain about Yukon's mining future
Social Sharing To Frank Patterson, a First Nations elder in Mayo, Yukon, last year's catastrophic failure at the nearby Eagle gold mine was not a total surprise. "It was devastating," he said. "And you know, anybody that went in there could see something would happen someday." It was one year ago, on the morning of June 24, 2024, that the Eagle mine went in a matter of moments from being a celebrated centrepiece of the territory's resource industry to an expensive environmental disaster that is still not fully understood. The failure at the Eagle mine also gave another black eye to the territory's mining industry, which has seen its share of large and costly mine failures and bankruptcies over the years. Some people are wondering what kind of future the industry has in the territory. The slide at the mine's heap leach facility released hundreds of millions of litres of toxic cyanide solution into the environment and immediately halted operations at what was then the Yukon's largest operating hard-rock mine. Within weeks, and at the Yukon government's request, a court-appointed receiver took over the company, Victoria Gold, and its assets. Emergency remediation work to contain the damage at the site and in the surrounding area is ongoing. Groundwater is being pumped and treated to remove any cyanide, and the territory's mines minister admits it's going to take "a long time before you get rid of all the cyanide." The cost of remediation so far has been more than $200 million. "It's taxpayers cleaning up, just like Faro, Whitehorse, BYG in Carmacks, you name it ... You know, it's just taxpayers are paying for the cleanup, and those guys friggin' get up and run away," said Patterson, who's from the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun. The Eagle mine is within the First Nation's traditional territory, and the area affected by the slide is where Patterson says he once learned about his traditional culture, from his elders. Patterson feels mistakes were made right from the get-go with Victoria Gold. He believes that his First Nation made a bad agreement with the company and should have involved elders more in the decision-making. Once the company got what it needed, he argues, "they shut the doors" on the First Nation. "We were not allowed up there. They gated it off. They put security there, they put their camp in there, and they just did whatever they wanted to do," Patterson said. Patterson says he's not against mining. He knows it's still the territory's main industry, as it has been for more than a century. But he believes things need to change, especially when it comes to approving mines and monitoring their operations. "The way Victoria Gold did it, it was greed. Pure greed," he said. 'It's critically important that we get mining right,' minister says The exact cause of the slide is still not clear. In August, the territorial government appointed an independent review board to investigate what happened by looking at the design, construction, operation, maintenance and monitoring of the heap leach facility. Heap leaching is a method of extracting gold from stacked layers of ore using a cyanide solution. The results of that review are expected in the coming days. Speaking to CBC News last week, Yukon's Mines Minister John Streicker said understanding the cause of the slide will help prevent anything similar happening again. It will also determine what the ongoing remediation will look like at Eagle mine site, and whether or not the mine could eventually be reopened. "One of the ways to think about it is, you need mining. That is, it's critically important that we get mining right. That means that it can't be damaging the environment, or why are we doing it?" Streicker said. Streicker argues that what happened at the Eagle mine is not just hugely significant for the Yukon, but also the country. Mining is essential for Canada's move toward a greener economy, he said, and failures like the Eagle mine slide make it hard for people to believe that mining can be done safely. "If we are able to make sure that the environment is not long-term heavily impacted, then maybe there's a chance to have trust that governments will do the right thing and make sure that mining is done appropriately. But there's also a chance that it doesn't work out well, and people will believe that it's not safe," Streicker said. "So there's a lot in the balance, and I think it goes beyond the Yukon in terms of how we judge whether it's right to mine or not." Receiver looks to sell mine site Earlier this month, PricewaterhouseCoopers, the court-appointed receiver of Victoria Gold, filed a report to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice indicating its intention to put the Eagle mine site up for sale. The report says things have improved at the site, with emergency work expected to be completed by Sept. 30. On June 30, there will be a court hearing where the receiver will present its case for making a sale. PricewaterhouseCoopers wants to close on the sale by the end of December. In Mayo, there are mixed feelings about whether the mine could, or should, ultimately reopen. A lot of local residents suddenly lost their jobs when the mine ceased operations a year ago. Victoria Gold made $400 million dollars in its last year of operation, and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun received its first annual payment from the mine — almost $1.4 million — before the slide. Bobbie-Lee Melancon doesn't want to see it reopen. She grew up in the area, fishing with her family on the McQuesten River, and she's angry about the environmental devastation from the Eagle mine failure. "I don't think we need to be greedy, you know, let's live on our beautiful land the way it is," she said. "If you think about all the money that was produced there and what was made, you know, those are really big numbers. And I don't think the First Nation got very much of that pie. And we were left with the mess." Doug van Bibber, who grew up in Mayo and works in forestry, said he was never a big supporter of the Eagle project, or heap leach mining. He says the environment is ultimately more important than the economy, "because money comes and goes; the land doesn't." "But I do know that, you know, you got to have resource sectors. And I just think we have to be a little bit more creative now, to how economic development occurs. You know, start looking at the forest and not just the minerals," he said. Frank Patterson, the Na-Cho Nyäk Dun elder, says he would like to see the Eagle mine reopen, because "mining is needed." "My thoughts on reopening is OK, because I want the people that they owe money to to be paid. And I also want the jobs that are gonna secure our people. But opening up to the same agreement — no," he said.
