Pitfalls and Pipelines - Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links

Chapter 1.3: Indigenous Peoples, Mining and Climate Change
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The record of the industry in their disregard for the
future is truly alarming. It should be clear that self regulation
is not sufficient to provide adequate protection. This is
especially true where vital issues like the protection of lives
and livelihoods, human rights and environmental protection
are concerned.
It will more likely require heavy investment, restrictions
on areas of operations, and planning to minimize new mining
and maximize alternatives—including recycling, reuse and
substitution. Stricter regulation of the mining industry and
adequate independent monitoring are essential features for
the future.
Box 1: Coal’s Contribution to Carbon Emissions
As fossil fuels are burned to produce energy, the carbon in the fuel reacts
with oxygen to form carbon dioxide gas (CO2). Most of this is released
into the atmosphere. Burning coal (which consists of “free” carbon)
produces more carbon dioxide per unit of energy generated than any
other fossil fuel. Compared to natural gas (which consists mostly of the
carbon-compound methane, CH4), coal releases 66 percent more CO2
per unit of energy generated.
Coal mining also releases methane into the atmosphere. Methane is
20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. 72 In
the USA in 2006, 26 percent of energy-related methane release was a
direct result of the mining of buried coal strata. 73 Around the world, about
seven percent of annual methane emissions originate from coal mining. 74
This methane could be used to produce energy more efficiently than the
coal itself. 75 Methane can theoretically be captured from underground
strata before opencast mining takes place, but while this is increasingly
spoken of it is, as yet rarely done. It is easier to capture methane from
underground mine,s but this too is an underdeveloped methodology.
Coal mining and the burning of coal for energy generation, cement
manufacture and steel production have been among the major engines
of global warming. This has been the case for more than 200 years of
industrialization. Despite increasing understanding of this dangerous
legacy, however, coal production and use continues to accelerate.
According to the 2010 BP Statistical Review of World Energy, 76 2009
was the first year since 2002 that coal was not the fastest growing fuel