Another step towards a healthier climate

Thursday 13 June 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Another step towards a healthier climate

Doctors are praising the Biodiversity Defence Society’s legal steps yesterday to stop another new coal mine.  The Biodiversity Defence Society filed declaration proceedings with the Environment Court on Wednesday, arguing that Solid Energy no longer holds resource consents for its Cypress Mine.  The resource consents for the mine – gained in 2005 – were due to expire at the end of 2012 if mining activity had not begun.  Seven years later only a road has been built.

Dr Russell Tregonning from OraTaiao: The New Zealand Climate and Health Council, says, ‘For the sake of our health, we need to overcome our addiction to fossil fuels, and that includes not opening new coal mines.  Every tonne of carbon dioxide we put into the atmosphere makes our future that much harder to manage.’

This step to declare the Cypress Mine consent as lapsed coincides with Bill McKibben’s tour of New Zealand this week.  Bill McKibben is one of the world's most respected speakers and activists on climate change, and co-founder of global movement 350.org.  His message ‘Do The Math’ makes it very clear that we need to emit less than 565 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide to stay within two degrees of global warming.  Existing fossil fuel reserves are more than five times that.  In other words, we need to leave at least 80% of known fossil fuel reserves in the ground in order to avoid the most serious effects of climate change.

International organisations including the World Bank, PriceWaterHouseCoopers and the International Energy Agency have already warned us we’re on track for 3-4°C warming - the time to act is now.  New Zealand’s economy is heavily dependent on our natural environment and we simply can't afford to open up new coal mines, nor permit oil exploration.

‘For the sake of our health and our economy, New Zealand needs a just transition away from carbon-intensive coal mining,’ says Dr Tregonning.  The Climate and Health Council calls upon local and central government to support the West Coast to move away from coal mining.  ‘The Coast needs healthier choices for employment, not a boom-and-bust industry that’s destroying the safe environment we all depend on,’ says Dr Tregonning.

The lapsing of Solid Energy’s Cypress Mine resource consent is another step towards a healthier future without coal dependence.

ENDS

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