For the first time in over 10 years an environmental activist is jailed in Tasmania, with the protester telling supporters outside court "if that makes me a dangerous criminal … we are going to need bigger prisons".
  • KramOPEnglish
    6·
    1 year ago

    Foreign and local corporations have never stopped logging and mining the Tarkine old growth forests. The media just stopped reporting on it so it left the public consciousness.

    The bob brown foundation has maintained a blockade slowing the destruction since 2020

    In February 2020 we occupied this coupe and forced the retreat of the logging machines, and since January 2021 we have been holding Chinese state-owned mining giant MMG at bay. Over 400 volunteers have spent time on this front line, with over 70 arrested stopping the machines. But the miners and loggers are still scheduled to return. We plan to stay in place to stop them again.

  • Track_Shovel@slrpnk.netEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    I think it is great to push mining companies to have the highest environmental standards possible.

    I think protesting mining for climate change reasons is a bit misguided, only in that if you’re opposing climate change, you should protest mining emissions specifically. Further, there is now a huge demand on metals to support green initiatives.

    The ecological footprint of mining is much more directly related. I realize she also protested logging and other facets related to mining; again, this is commendable.

    The point I am trying to (poorly?) make is that mining isn’t going anywhere any time soon, unfortunately. I don’t think chaining yourself to an excavator is the best way to win an argument (I don’t have any suggestions) but the climate action in the states with young people taking companies and states to court seems to be making inroads.

    • KramOPEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      I think the important thing is the location, the Tarkine is an area of high value wilderness, so mining it seems particularly onerous.

      I don’t think anyone’s under the illusion that we could stop mining as a whole, but they might be able to stop it in one place by making it a higher cost than just opening up somewhere else

      • Track_Shovel@slrpnk.netEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        I’m unfamiliar with the area where this was happening. I agree; high value habitat has to be preserved. The biodiversity collapse is a real and terrible thing.