Hunter Valley residents want a transition plan
Communities in the New South Wales Hunter Valley need to apply more pressure to speed-up the process of transitioning from coal to renewables sources of energy. That was message being delivered at a summit held last month in NSW town of Singleton, a week before the announcement of plans to build a new coal-fired power station in the region.
Hunter Valley calls for tougher renewable energy policies, ponders transition to a post-coal future
That was message being delivered at a summit held last month in NSW town of Singleton, a week before the announcement of plans to build a new coal-fired power station in the region. ABC's Greg Miskelly reports
Read moreClimate is changing, so are attitudes to coal
The winds of change are in the air, and they carry no coal dust.
Read Rob McLaughlin's opinion piece in the Newcastle Herald here
Is there life after coal for the Hunter?
As many countries shift away from coal mining and the industry finds itself under increasing scrutiny, some in the Hunter are worried the region is running out of time to restructure its economy. Listen here
'3,500 miners laid off in a day': The dire warning these US coal miners have for the industry here
Carl Shoupe and his son Scott experienced firsthand the quick and devastating collapse of the mining industry in Kentucky, where during the downturn eight mines closed in one day. Now they're warning the industry in the NSW Hunter region to have a Plan B.
Read the full ABC News article here
The end of coal in the Hunter is coming
Twenty years after the end of steel, the Hunter Valley stares at the end of coal. The signs have been there, but the ringing of the last drinks’ bell came on February 20 from Glencore, the valley’s biggest miner. Read the article in the Newcastle Herald here
Read moreLake MP Greg Piper says Hunter must prepare to transition away from coal
Here's How We Get Serious About Transitioning Away From Coal
The scientific consensus is clear: climate change is happening, making extreme climate events like heatwaves, bushfires, droughts, floods and severe storms regular occurrences. Across the globe governments are responding by transferring power generation to clean energy based on renewables, but NSW continues to lag behind, relying on coal power generation while doing little to help coal communities smoothly transition to new jobs and industries in the renewable energy sector.
NSW independent MPs Alex Greenwich, Joe McGirr and Greg Piper have released a policy to introduce a ten year adjustment strategy for NSW coal mining communities. Read about it here
Hunter communities must embrace renewable transition to shape their future
On 20th February 100 people gathered in Singleton for the Hunter Renewal Summit to press the case for urgent transition.
On a week where the world's biggest thermal coal exporter Glencore is talking about capping annual coal production at 2019 levels to "transition for a low-carbon economy" then we know we are living through changing energy times. Glencore's boss Ivan Glasenberg said we believe this transition is a key part of the global response to the increasing risks posed by climate change.
