<
https://theconversation.com/australias-learning-by-doing-approach-to-managing-large-mines-is-failing-the-environment-230857>
"High-profile legal disputes, such as the current case between coal giant Adani
and the Queensland government, show Australia’s approach to managing large
mining projects is flawed.
Many projects are allowed to go ahead even though the environmental impacts are
uncertain. The idea is any damage to the environment can be managed along the
way. This has been the norm for large coal mines and gas developments in
Australia since 2013. That’s when legislation known as the Water Trigger came
into effect – ironically, to protect water resources from these industries.
But our research shows this approach – known as “adaptive management” – often
creates more problems than it solves. This is particularly true when it comes
to groundwater, where impacts are difficult to predict in advance, and
monitoring may only detect problems when it is too late to act.
These problems include depleting or contaminating groundwater, drying up
springs of major cultural and ecological significance, altering river flows and
reducing water quality. There are worrying signs the Adani mine is putting the
Doongmabulla springs at risk."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
