The Meander Valley Council has a clearly articulated Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Policy, which acknowledges the scientific consensus on human-induced climate change and commits to action at both the local and broader governmental levels.
This policy is not just a statement of intent—it is a framework that demands responsible decision-making to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect local environments, and adapt to climate risks.
Abx’s proposed bauxite mine directly contradicts this policy on every front. Approving it would not only undermine the council’s own stated commitments but would actively contribute to environmental degradation and climate instability.
1. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Violating the Council’s Commitment to Minimisation
The policy states that:
“The Meander Valley Council recognises that while all local impacts of climate change may not be immediately known, it is necessary to minimise pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and related environmental impacts...”
Yet, the proposed mine would generate massive, unchecked emissions at multiple stages:
- Site Preparation: Large-scale land clearing removes carbon-sequestering vegetation, releasing stored CO2.
- Heavy Transport: 107 vehicle movements daily (78 being heavy-haul trucks) will continuously emit CO2 into the atmosphere.
- Processing and Shipping: Extracted bauxite will be trucked to Bell Bay, then shipped across the Bass Strait to Melbourne, and then transported to Adelaide for processing—an energy-intensive operation with zero carbon accountability.
- Cumulative Impact: No comprehensive greenhouse gas audit has been conducted, violating the council’s obligation to account for emissions in decision-making.
Approving the mine would directly contradict the Council’s pledge to minimise greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.
2. Adaptation and Risk Management: Failing to Protect the Community
The policy commits the Council to:
“plan and adapt to emerging and future risks arising from climate change.”
ABx bauxite mine escalates climate risks rather than mitigating them:
- Extreme Weather Resilience: Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and severity of storms, bushfires, heatwaves, and droughts. Extractive industries worsen this by damaging landscapes, increasing erosion, and removing natural buffers against extreme weather.
- Local Environmental Degradation: The mine’s impact will destabilise soil, reduce water quality, and fragment ecosystems—making it harder for the region to adapt to changing climatic conditions.
- Infrastructure Stress: Roads and transport networks will degrade faster due to constant heavy-haulage traffic, increasing long-term maintenance costs.
The Council cannot claim to prioritise climate adaptation while allowing a high-emission, high-impact project to proceed.
3. Economic and Social Sustainability: Undermining Community Well-being
The policy states:
“Coordinated and integrated action is needed to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and the Meander Valley Council supports action that responsibly achieves environmental, economic and social sustainability.”
The bauxite mine fails all three pillars of sustainability:
- Environmental: It accelerates carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, and habitat destruction.
- Economic: Short-term mining profits come at the cost of long-term environmental damage, impacting agriculture, tourism, and local property values.
- Social: The mine creates community division, health risks from pollution, and increased road hazards from heavy transport.
If sustainability is a genuine priority, then a project that prioritises short-term extraction over long-term resilience must be rejected.
4. The Precautionary Principle: Ignoring Scientific Responsibility
A responsible local government applies the Precautionary Principle—taking preventive action in the face of uncertainty and requiring proponents of environmentally risky projects to prove their safety. The Council’s policy echoes this principle by requiring careful planning for climate-related risks.
Yet:
- The EPA’s environmental assessment failed to even mention climate change or carbon emissions.
- No independent peer-reviewed climate impact analysis has been conducted.
- The burden of proof has been placed on the community to argue against the mine, rather than on the mining company to prove its sustainability.
Ignoring these concerns isn’t just negligence—it’s a failure of duty of care.
Conclusion: A Defining Moment for the Meander Valley Council
The Council’s Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Policy exists to guide responsible decision-making in the face of environmental challenges. It is not a symbolic document—it is an obligation.
Approving Abx bauxite mine would be an explicit betrayal of this policy, a failure of governance, and a concession to short-term corporate profit at the expense of long-term community resilience.
If the Meander Valley Council is serious about its commitment to climate action, sustainability, and responsible governance, there is only one option:
Reject the bauxite mine. Uphold the Meander Valley’s Policy own policy. Protect the future of the Meander Valley.
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