Coal

In November 2005, the National Business Review reported that there was $50 million worth of coal under the snails. Of course the actual profit would be much smaller than that. By April 2006, however, Solid Energy claimed there were hundreds of jobs and $400-700 million worth of coal at stake. Had the value of the coal increased by 1300 percent? No, through the Official Information Act, environmentalists discovered those figures referred to the coal under the entire 50 hectare ridgeline, as opposed to the ~4 hectares of Powelliphanta "Augustus" habitat. What’s more, before the company had even permission to mine, Solid Energy had signed a contract for the coal under the snails with Korea.

Solid Energy has shown little commitment to environment in the past, and is currently under investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. The Ngakawau River, which drains the Stockton Mine, contains so much acid mine drainage and coal fines that it is devoid of life.

Coal is also a major contributor to climate change, which is rapidly becoming the most serious threat to the planet’s biodiversity. Some scientific projections estimate that 60 percent of all species alive today will be extinct, or committed to extinction, by the end of this century. That isn’t just a concern for individual species, it will be massively destabilising for all of our planet’s inhabitants, including humankind. We simply can’t afford to keep burning coal.