Rich land, Wasteland

How coal is killing Australia

by Sharyn Munro

For nearly a year Sharyn Munro travelled through rural Australia, visiting the communities in the coal-mining areas. She found a war zone. Here, ‘at the coalface’, towns and districts are dying — homeowners and farmers forced out by mining, broken in spirit and in health, or else under threat, in limbo and battling the might of the multinationals. Incidences of asthma, cancers and heart attacks show alarming spikes in communities close to coal mines and coal power stations, yet the government seems powerless (or unwilling) to act.

Once reliable rivers and aquifers are drying up or become polluted, once fertile agricultural land is becoming unusable. But the big mostly foreign-owned mining companies continue to push on with their coal rush and government continues to assist and protect them: ever more mining licences are granted, ever bigger mines are opened. In this life-changing book, Sharyn exposes the real story of coal: how people are hurting, and rebelling, as coal pushes into hitherto unthinkable areas; how the true costs outweigh any benefits; and how all of us will ultimately pay the price.

Review

This is the story of the terrible way the coal mining and coal seam gas industry tramples on the land and people.  It just seems shocking that this industry can have access to private land.  The book is written from the victims perspective.  When travelling through the Hunter region of NSW I was appalled at the coal mines size and felt that it is not right that such scars should be permitted, I had  read elsewhere of locals trying to stop these companies coming on their land, but didn't realise how terrible this industry is nor the extent of how Governments bend to the wishes of the miners at the expense  of the lives of citizens and the land.  It seems Governments are even worse in doing their job than I thought.

Rating 4/5