The harrowing images of the severely polluted Ohinemuri River caused by an old mining shaft could become a more common occurrence under the mining regime the Government is looking to roll out.

“The state of the Ohinemuri river paints a picture of what the future looks like if the Government unleashes mining across the country,” says the Green Party spokesperson for Resources Steve Abel.

“We need to work with nature, not against it. This is how we leave behind an Aotearoa that can be enjoyed for generations to come. We can’t mine our way to lasting prosperity, mining will instead pave the path to environmental ruin.

“The desecration of the Ohinemuri river with waste from an old mining shaft is a stark example of the toxic legacy mining leaves behind. Ruined nature haunts communities long after the jobs have dried up and the profits have been funnelled overseas.

“Meanwhile, the Luxon Government looks set to fast-track a laundry list of mining projects that will throw our natural world into even further disarray. Mining on conservation land and in the areas critically endangered species call home remain on the table.

“Expanding mining in the middle of a climate and biodiversity crisis is reckless and will see future generations pay the price for today’s mistakes.

“Our environment is the foundation for all of us to survive and thrive. We must treat it with the respect it deserves so that cases like the Ohinemuri river become a thing of the past.

“No one wants a future filled with fluorescent rivers and climate-charged catastrophes. The solutions exist, all that is missing is political will,” says Steve Abel.

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