Parents fear children will inherit climate impacts from coal mine extension

Parents are voicing deep concerns about the potential long-term climate impacts on their children should one of New South Wales' largest mines receive approval for a 19-year operational extension. The Hunter Valley Operations (HVO) Continuation Project, a joint venture between Yancoal and Glencore, seeks to continue mining near Singleton in the Upper Hunter until the end of 2045, extending its current approvals which expire in December.

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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.

Projections from HVO indicate that this extension would permit the extraction of an additional 429 million tonnes of coal, leading to an estimated 809 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. Activist group Parents for Climate rallied against the project, with CEO Nic Seton expressing profound worry about the future for the next generation. He cited personal experiences of his children being affected by climate change impacts, such as bushfire smoke, and stated that parents nationwide share these anxieties about the future of society, the economy, and the environment.

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It doesn't matter whether it gets burnt and transported locally or globally. 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.

Seton dismissed the HVO projection that about 98% of emissions would be Scope 3 (indirect emissions from burning the coal) as irrelevant. He argued that the resulting pollution would still affect people across the country through extreme weather, increased costs, and disruptions to supply chains and food security, asserting that "No-one's safe from it."

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The Hunter Valley needs HVO. 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.

However, the decision carries significant social and economic weight for the local community. Chris Bateman, a shift supervisor at HVO, emphasized the mine's critical role in the Hunter Valley, where it employs over 1,500 people and supports nearly 800 suppliers. Bateman stated that the mine's closure would impact thousands of children, highlighting its contribution to financial stability, home ownership, and educational opportunities through apprenticeships and cadetships. He also stressed the importance of being able to work close to home and be present in his children's lives, including coaching their football team.

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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.