World’s first public database of mine tailings dams aims to prevent deadly disasters
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World’s first public database of mine tailings dams aims to prevent deadly disasters https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-01/g-wfp012320.php Previously unreleased data offer unprecedented view into mining industry’s waste storage practices GRID-ARENDAL 24 JAN 2020 ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATION GRID-ARENDAL HAS LAUNCHED THE WORLD’S FIRST PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE GLOBAL DATABASE OF MINE TAILINGS STORAGE FACILITIES. THE DATABASE, THE GLOBAL TAILINGS PORTAL, WAS BUILT BY NORWAY-BASED GRID-ARENDAL AS PART OF THE INVESTOR MINING AND TAILINGS SAFETY INITIATIVE, WHICH IS LED BY THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND PENSIONS BOARD AND THE SWEDISH NATIONAL PENSION FUNDS’ COUNCIL ON ETHICS, WITH SUPPORT FROM THE UN ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME. THE INITIATIVE IS BACKED BY FUNDS WITH MORE THAN US$13 TRILLION UNDER MANAGEMENT. Until now, there has been no central database detailing the location and quantity of the mining industry’s liquid and solid waste, known as tailings. The waste is typically stored in embankments called tailings dams, which have periodically failed with devastating consequences for communities, wildlife and ecosystems. “This portal could save lives”, says Elaine Baker, senior expert at GRID-Arendal and a geosciences professor with the University of Sydney in Australia. “Dams are getting bigger and bigger. Mining companies have found most of the highest-grade ores and are now mining lower-grade ones, which create more waste. With this information, the entire industry can work towards reducing dam failures in the future.” The database allows users to view detailed information on more than 1,700 tailings dams around the world, categorized by location, company, dam type, height, volume, and risk, among other factors. “Most of this information has never before been publicly available”, says Kristina Thygesen, GRID-Arendal’s programme leader for geological resources and a member of the team that worked on the portal. When GRID-Arendal began in-depth research on mine tailings dams in 2016, very little data was accessible. In a 2017 report on tailings dams, co-published by GRID and the UN Environment Programme, one of the key recommendations was to establish an accessible public-interest database of tailings storage facilities. “This database brings a new level of transparency to the mining industry, which will benefit regulators, institutional investors, scientific researchers, local communities, the media, and the industry itself”, says Thygesen. The release of the Global Tailings Portal coincides with the one-year anniversary of the tailings dam collapse in Brumadinho, Brazil, that killed 270 people. After that disaster, a group of institutional investors led by the Church of England Pensions Board asked 726 of the world’s largest mining companies to disclose details about their tailings dams. Many of the companies complied, and the information they released has been incorporated into the database. For more information on tailings dams, see the 2017 report “Mine Tailings Storage: Safety Is No Accident” and the related collection of graphics, which are available for media use. About GRID-Arendal GRID-Arendal supports environmentally sustainable development by working with the UN Environment Programme and other partners. We communicate environmental knowledge that motivates decision-makers and strengthens management capacity. We transform environmental data into credible, science-based information products, delivered through innovative communication tools and capacity-building services. |
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Names of 34 environmentalists and conservationists who received Australia Day Awards
Australia Day Honours, Maelor Himbury, 27 Jan 2020
Congratulations to the following people who received honours for contributions to the environment and/or conservation. (Apologies to any I may have missed)
Raymond Louis Specht, St Lucia QLD
Elaine Cafferty Carbines, Grovedale VIC
Graham John Faichney, Mosman NSW
David Ronald Leece, Beecroft NSW
Grant Donald Hunt, Isle of Capri QLD
Roderick Tucker Wells, Flagstaff Hill SA
Dedee Daryl Woodside, Umina Beach NSW
Graeme Leonard Worboys, Gilmore ACT
Maree Rosalie Byrne, Bowral NSW
Judith Anne Charnaud, Warriewood NSW
Fred Conway, QLD
Elizabeth Corke, VIC
Daryl James Akers, Melton South VIC
Eulalie Perry Brewster, Inverloch VIC
Raymond Brown, Bulli NSW
Leif Robert Cocks, Willagee WA
Brian Stuart Blythe, Portsea VIC
Marie Ann Ficcara, Cronulla NSW
Peter John Forster, Anglesea VIC
Sherryl Maree Garbutt, Brunswick VIC
Mary Julia Hutton, Stirling WA
William David Incoll, Monbulk VIC
Bronwen Jean Keichery, Subiaco WA
Gregory John Keichery, Subiaco WA
Diana Betty Laube, Tiatukia SA
Sarah Jane Lloyd, Birralee TAS
Peter Phillip Gash, Lady Elliott Island QLD
Lloyd Alwyn Nielsen, Mount Molloy QLD
Catherine Marie-Claire Oelrichs, Coopers Shoot NSW
Margaret Owen, Wembley WA
Carl John Rayner, Anglesea VIC
John Stanisic, Albany Creek QLD
Beverley Jean Weaver, Nundah QLD
Bruce Anthony Wilson, Seacliff Park SA
In Australia, legal action over climate change is on the rise
A class action might be out of the question but climate change litigation, at least against companies, is on the rise.
Australia has so far had the second-highest number of climate cases globally after the United States and the nation’s financial regulators have been warning about an increase of litigation for years now.
On top of that, in 2016 a legal opinion by Noel Hutley QC and Sebastian Hartford-Davis identified climate change as a material financial risk to businesses. As a result, Australian company directors might be legally obliged to consider and report on the risks.
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Climate activists and lawyers itching to sue Australia government, https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2020/01/25/climate-change-class-action/ Cait Kelly
As Australia experiences the worst bushfire season on record there are growing calls for a class action against the federal government for the lacklustre response to climate change. Emboldened by a recent case in the Netherlands where citizens successfully mounted a class action against their government for its failure to act on the climate crisis, there are mounting calls to do the same here. One change.org.au petition to rally support for a class action has received more than 63,000 signatures. “The government has failed to increase its emissions targets,” it reads. “Failed to increase the renewable energy target and failed the people of Australia. “We are now witnessing the effects of the climate emergency first hand, and still the government sits on its hands.” But mounting a class action against the government over the issue is “uncharted territory” and highly complicated, said Australian Lawyers Alliance’s Greg Barns. “There is certainly a strong and compelling moral argument that government inaction, in the face of uncontradicted expert evidence warning about the increased risk of number or, and magnitude of fires, should compel it to pay compensation to those impacted by the fires,” he told The New Daily. One argument thrown around for a class action is the historical precedent taken after Black Saturday fires in which 173 people died. Continue reading |
Secret research reveals rift in the Liberals, over climate change
Secret research deepens Liberal divisions over climate Daily Telegraph , 26 Jan 2020, The results of secret research focus groups, conducted by the federal government nationally in November, reveal climate change is a key concern among voters after the devastating bushfire season across the country…. (Subscribers only)
Should women run the world? — Beyond Nuclear International
Would nuclear weapons go away if men leave power?
via Should women run the world? — Beyond Nuclear International
January 26 Energy News — geoharvey
Opinion: ¶ “What Should You Know Before Signing Up For A Tesla Solarglass Roof” • The Tesla Solarglass Roof finally makes solar beautiful and easy to look at for folks who don’t appreciate the look of conventional solar panels. I think the Solarglass roof tiles are more beautiful, more functional, and more durable than most […]
Antinuclear 