Parents worry kids will inherit climate impact of coal mine extension

Parents worry how Hunter Valley coal mine extension will impact next generation In short: Parents for Climate says it is "terrified" by the environmental impacts children will inherit if a 19-year extension of the Hunter Valley Operations coal mine is approved. More than 1,500 employees at the mine are contemplating what the future will hold if the mine closes. What's next? The Independent Planning Commission is expected to decide by early September. As the independent referee weighs up one of NSW's largest mine extensions, parents are grappling with what the decision will mean for their children. The Hunter Valley Operations (HVO) Continuation Project would result in mining continuing at the site near Singleton, in the Upper Hunter, until the end of 2045. That would represent a 19-year extension of the Yancoal-Glencore joint venture's existing approvals, which expire in December. HVO projections show the extension would allow an extra 429 million tonnes of coal to be mined, generating 809 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. Activist group Parents for Climate today rallied against the project outside NSW Parliament House, with CEO Nic Seton saying he was "terrified" by the prospect. "My kids are in primary school now, and they haven't gone a year without being impacted [by climate change] in some way, whether that's being evacuated from a campsite or being sent to hospital for breathing too much bushfire smoke during the black summer," he said. "I think a lot of other parents around the country are really worried about what the future of our society, our economy and our environment is going to look like for our kids." Mr Seton said he took no comfort from the HVO projection that about 98 per cent of emissions from the project would be Scope 3, or indirect, emissions produced when the coal was burnt by overseas buyers to produce electricity. "It doesn't matter whether it gets burnt and transported locally or globally," he said. "That pollution is still going to come back on people living all across the country in the form of extreme weather events, rising costs, disruptions of supply chains and food security. "No-one's safe from it." Job losses loom But for Chris Bateman, a shift supervisor at HVO, a rejection by the IPC will come with a different type of social cost. HVO employs more than 1,500 people and engages nearly 800 suppliers. "The Hunter Valley needs HVO," Mr Bateman said. "It's massive in our community, most of my friends, if not all, are impacted either directly or indirectly by mining. "Society itself is built around it." The former painter started at HVO about 15 years ago, working his way through the ranks. He said the closure of the mine would impact thousands of children like his. "I've been able to financially support us … we own our house, providing the kids with whatever they need to get through school," he said. "HVO, and mining in general, provides a multitude of opportunities for our kids in apprenticeship programs [and] cadetships. It's also the fact that it's close to home, I'm able to come home every day and see my kids … [and] coach the football team." Mr Bateman said both the climate and employment impacts of the extension were "valid things to consider" but HVO's current proposal continued to align with government requirements. "The mine only equates to less than 1 per cent of NSW's annual emissions," he said. "NSW mining is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the country as far as environmental constraints go, and we don't take that lightly. "It's the community that we live in that we're doing it for, so we have as much, if not more, vested interest than anyone to make sure that we're doing it right." But Mr Seton said approving coal mine extensions placed an unfair burden on the next generation. "By the time they grow up and get to vote, a lot of these decisions will have been made and it will be too late," he said. "We need to be the adults in the room so the kids can count on us to make sure their future is as bright as possible." The IPC is expected to announce its decision on the future of HVO early next month.