Fr Stan Swamy SJ RIP

8 July 2021

Dear friends,

We have just launched the English version of a book and video primarily for children, Droplet and Wagtail’s Tailings Tale, about the effects of mining waste on ecosystems. This is our translation of excellent work from our friends in Montescola in Galicia, who also spoke at our Annual Gathering last month along with representatives of communities affected by Rio Tinto. It was encouraging to learn from them all that our work at LMN is useful to them in their struggles, partly because it links them up with others around the world fighting the same ogres of greed.

While we oppose the injustice and destruction of the current transnational-dominated mining industry, it is useful also to think about the kind of future that we want, given that we do not want a future like the present, or the future offered so enthusiastically by the leaders of the mining industry. Breaking Free From Mining – a 2050 Blueprint – helps us to do just this.

A new era has just been announced at one of the world’s largest mining and trading companies, Glencore. Ivan Glasenberg, the company’s CEO for the past 19 years, will pass the baton on to Gary Nagle early next year. I do not anticipate much change, but let us hope there is some: Ivan Glasenberg’s style of leadership and the set of values which he incarnated seem to me the polar opposite of everything that we at LMN strive to be and at odds with every value which I would hope the world of the future might reflect. We have not included any of the interesting articles from the South African press analysing his professional life, mainly because they are all behind paywalls, but partly because they might cause distress to those of a nervous disposition. They certainly provoked in me waves of nausea even more unsettling than those that threatened to overwhelm me during April’s Rio Tinto AGM. I stress that these feelings are personal and do not represent the agreed position of London Mining Network. It would perhaps be in poor taste to say anything further – perhaps, to conclude on a note of hope, we could say that Glencore’s modus operandi from now on could scarcely be any worse than it has been to date.

A very different example has been given by Fr Stan Swamy SJ, who recently died in hospital in India, his death hastened by his appalling treatment by the Government of India. That Government painted him as a terrorist because of his lifetime of working with adivasi and other oppressed communities in India to resist the mining industry and other injustices. Personally known to a number of us in LMN and to our friends, he has been called a martyr by the Catholic Bishops of Asia.

Glencore, meanwhile, is buying up the whole of the notorious Cerrejon Coal mine in Colombia as its joint venture partners, Anglo American and BHP, sell their shares to hasten their exit from coal and thus look good to institutional investors. None of these companies can be allowed to wriggle out of their moral responsibility to remediate the ecosystems and traditional livelihoods that they have helped destroy. The mine’s licence ends in 2034. It needs to shut much sooner than than because of climate change – but a closure plan must be developed with mine workers and local communities to ensure that their needs and demands are met. Instead of working on this, the transnational owners are suing the Colombian Government over alleged loss of profits supposedly caused by a Constitutional Court decision.

Coal seems to be in retreat in some parts of the world while making alarming advances elsewhere. In England and Wales it is in retreat.

But replacing an economy based on fossil fuels with a supposedly ‘green’ economy based on massively increased consumption of other minerals for batteries and renewable energy generation is not a viable solution and brings huge human rights risks. We simply have to reduce the amount of materials we tear from this limited, irreplaceable and achingly beautiful planet and share them equally, ensuring that everyone has enough rather than some possessing far, far more than they need while others languish in absolute poverty.

We would do well to learn from the way that Indigenous Peoples have cared for the Earth. The Bolsonaro government in Brazil is determined to do the very opposite, pushing them out of the way in order to open up Amazonia to mining and agribusiness. Rio Tinto, for all its protestations of regret at the destruction last year of the 46,000 year old Juukan Gorge Aboriginal site in Australia, is finding it difficult to regain the trust of Indigenous people there as other examples of such destruction are examined, and is pressing on with plans to wreck another Indigenous sacred site in Arizona in the USA, aided and abetted by the US Government.

There is plenty more to read below. You can also follow us on Twitter, where we share news most weekdays.

If you would like to donate to help us in our work, we would be most grateful. We are also now looking for a slightly larger office in inner London. If you know of reasonably priced office accommodation, do please let us know.

All the best,

Richard Solly, Co-ordinator, London Mining Network.

In this mailout

Take Action

Banks are financing climate chaos

Take part in the UK-Canada trade consultation

Join War on Want in calling for a Global Green New Deal

Events coming up

Global Webinar on the “Right to Say No” around the world

Reports and resources

Droplet and Wagtail’s Tailings Tale

Protecting our common home: Land and environmental human rights defenders in Latin America

Breaking free from mining – A 2050 blueprint

Toxic fracking vs. Slovenian democracy

Corporate crimes hub

Just Minerals for a Just Transition

SLAPPed but not silenced: Defending human rights in the face of legal risks

News

1) London Mining Network annual gathering

2) Rights groups join forces to call for UK corporate accountability laws

3) Legal definition of Ecocide proposed

4) AngloGold names ex-BHP exec Calderon as new CEO

5) Sami reindeer herders to Beowulf Mining: why don’t you just give up and go?

6) Antofagasta Minerals must take responsibility for its impacts

7) News about Cerrejon Coal (owned by Anglo American, BHP and Glencore)

8) More news about Anglo American

9) More news about Glencore

10) More news about BHP

11) Rio Tinto and the destruction of Indigenous heritage

12) Rio Tinto declares force majeure, violence halts operations at Richards Bay, South Africa

13) Revealed: the UK’s business links to Nagorno-Karabakh

14) Mining and the attack on Indigenous rights in Brazil

15) Death of anti-mining campaigner Fr Stan Swamy

16) Coal’s ups and downs

17) Batteries, renewables and human rights

18) Deep Sea Mining and the Pacific Rim

A retirement, a martyrdom, and other London mining news

Take Action

Banks are financing climate chaos

Time is up. To prevent full climate breakdown, the fossil fuel era must come to an end now. Yet, commercial banks continue to pour trillions into the coal, oil and gas industry. This must stop. Together we will stop them. You can help.

Take part in the UK-Canada trade consultation

The UK government is holding a consultation on its trade deal with Canada, which currently includes controversial corporate courts. Corporate courts give fossil fuel companies the power to sue governments for taking action on the climate emergency. Nearly three quarters of mining companies globally are headquartered in Canada, and nearly half of all investment in mining goes through the Toronto Stock Exchange. Canadian mining and fossil fuel companies are active in corporate courts, and have sued many governments. Sign the petition.

Join War on Want in calling for a Global Green New Deal

‘The answer to the question ‘how do we change the world?’ isn’t in any of us individually, it’s in all of us, collectively.’ – Asad Rehman, War on Want. Sign the petition.

Events coming up

Global Webinar on the “Right to Say No” around the world

Over the past year the Thematic Social Forum on Mining (which LMN helps to organise) hosted a series of webinars on how the “Right to Say No” is being implemented in different circumstances. Case studies from Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa, were presented, in which this right has become the focus or main content of the collective process of struggle. Now, we are inviting you for a Global Webinar that will go beyond the case examples and present our current understanding of the “Right to Say No”. Register here.

Reports and resources

Droplet and Wagtail’s Tailings Tale

Originally published in Galician as A Mina Contamina, the story uncovers the consequences of pollution from mining, and encourages adults and children to become an active part of the solution to problems caused by extractivism. This book received the United Nations University 2019 RCE Award for Innovative Projects on Education for Sustainable Development as an “Outstanding Flagship Project” for its role in contributing to SDG15: Life on Land. Look for ‘ download Children’s storybook, A Tailings Tale, English translation’ here and watch video here.

Protecting our common home: Land and environmental human rights defenders in Latin America

CAFOD’s new report, Protecting our common home: land and human rights defenders (HRDs) in Latin America, finds that states as well as businesses act with disregard for human rights and the environment. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the deep inequalities across the region, and has led to increased threats to and attacks on land and environmental HRDs and their communities. Much of this is intrinsically linked to access and control over land and territories. Against a backdrop of limited state presence, huge power asymmetries between companies, states and local communities, and widespread impunity, HRDs often have nowhere to turn to for protection.

Breaking free from mining – A 2050 blueprint

Seas At Risk’s new paper warns about the disastrous environmental consequences of a new mining boom while showing how it can be prevented. Overconsumption and the paradigm of infinite economic growth require vast amounts of metals and minerals, driving one of the world’s most polluting industries and a main contributor to climate change and biodiversity loss. Using a science and fact-based approach, the paper provides a blueprint for breaking free from resource extraction and shaping a world without mining. It discusses existing and emerging alternatives to shift towards a society based on needs rather than growth, on wellbeing, and on the use of resources within the limits of our planet.

Toxic fracking vs. Slovenian democracy

Once again the fossil fuel industry is using the Energy Charter Treaty to attack environmental action. Amid the climate and environmental emergency, a British oil and gas company is threatening to sue Slovenia for requiring an environmental impact assessment for a controversial gas fracking project. Watch and share the new video about a UK company threatening to sue Slovenia through the ECT – for protecting its water and the environment from fracking.

Corporate crimes hub

Companies should be held to account when they engage in illegal conduct linked to serious human rights abuses. But investigating corporate crimes is complex and raises challenges for both investigative organisations and law enforcement, especially when offences occur across borders. The Corporate Crimes Hub aims to advance the investigation and prosecution of corporate crime by providing legal and investigatory resources to those at the forefront of the fight against corporate impunity. The content provided in this website has been developed by the Corporate Crimes Project at Amnesty International in collaboration with NGO partners from across the globe. Watch the webinar of the launch event.

Just Minerals for a Just Transition

Earthworks has published Just Minerals: Safeguarding protections for community rights, sacred places, and public lands from the unfounded push for mining expansion. The report shares why a responsible energy transition hinges on prioritizing mineral recycling, reuse, and substitution over new extraction. It also discusses the structural inequity created by the current US public lands mining laws that precipitated 19th and 20th century mining rushes that killed or forcibly displaced untold numbers of Indigenous and other marginalized communities. Before we embark on this century’s minerals rush, justice and equity demand updates to this regime.

SLAPPed but not silenced: Defending human rights in the face of legal risks

This first-ever global analysis of lawsuits which bear the hallmarks of SLAPPs brought or initiated by business actors reveals this tactic is used in every region of the world to intimidate people into silence.

News

1) London Mining Network annual gathering

Speakers from Mongolia, Madagascar, Serbia and the USA spoke about the impacts of UK mining multinational Rio Tinto on their communities and their work with LMN. Watch the video recording of the event.

2) Rights groups join forces to call for UK corporate accountability laws

LMN signed a statement from the Corporate Justice Coalition saying that companies must have human rights and environmental obligations.

3) Legal definition of Ecocide proposed

The Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide convened by the Stop Ecocide Foundation has completed its deliberations. The proposed definition of ecocide as a 5th crime under the Rome Statute is now available for states to consider – and for civil society to demand.

4) AngloGold names ex-BHP exec Calderon as new CEO

AngloGold Ashanti has appointed former BHP executive Alberto Calderón as its new CEO, ending almost a year without a top boss following Kelvin Dushnisky’s sudden departure last July. Alberto Calderón used to run Cerrejon Coal. This does not bode well for communities in Colombia resisting AngloGold Ashanti’s planned mining projects in the west of the country.

5) Sami reindeer herders to Beowulf Mining: why don’t you just give up and go?

Beowulf has been trying for years to take forward an iron ore mining project at Kallak, in indigenous Sami territory in the north of Sweden.

6) Antofagasta Minerals must take responsibility for its impacts

Chilean Supreme Court rules in favour of the Caimanes community

7) News about Cerrejon Coal (owned by Anglo American, BHP and Glencore)

News from Cerrejon: Blockades and lawsuits

Mineworkers and Wayuu communities paralyze the operations of the Cerrejon mine in Colombia as Anglo American and Glencore file ISDS lawsuits against Colombia

Glencore grabs Anglo American, BHP stakes in Cerrejon coal mine

Miner and commodities trader Glencore is buying out partners Anglo American and BHP’s stakes in the Cerrejón thermal coal mine in Colombia, defying previous reports that said it was looking to walk away from the asset.

8) More news about Anglo American

Anglo faces lead class action in Zambia

A KABWE medical doctor has filed an affidavit in the Zambian High Court in which he claims that Anglo American had been aware of lead poisoning at its mine. Dr Ian Lawrence, who was stationed where Anglo operated the world’s largest lead mine in the 1970s, said in an affidavit that the company was aware of lead poisoning to their employees as blood levels of staff were checked regularly.

Anglo coal spinoff surges as global supply curbs lift prices

When Anglo American Plc’s South African coal spinoff was listed earlier this month, some shareholders rushed for the exit. Since then it’s risen more than 77% and some investors predict further gains as prices for the most polluting fossil fuel soar.

De Beers pleads guilty to failing to report mercury monitoring results at Victor mine

In a resolution to a years-long dispute, De Beers Canada has pleaded guilty to one count of failing to report annual mercury monitoring results for the G2 station at Victor mine in 2014 as required under the mine’s Certificate of Approval. De Beers is controlled by Anglo American.

9) More news about Glencore

Glencore taps coal head Gary Nagle as new CEO

Mining and commodities trader Glencore said that Gary Nagle, the head of its coal division, would replace Ivan Glasenberg as the company’s top boss early next year.

Glencore names Kalidas Madhavpeddi as new chairman

Miner and commodity trader Glencore has chosen non-executive director Kalidas Madhavpeddi to replace Tony Hayward as the company’s new chairman, completing a leadership overhaul at the company.

Colombia blocks Prodeco request to return coal titles

The latest ANM decision means that the Prodeco saga remains at an impasse, sources said, as the ruling does not oblige the firm to resume operations.

Unions address accountability as Glencore prepares to reopen Mutanda mine

IndustriALL Global Union affiliates organizing at Mutanda Mine in Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo say preparations to open the mine in July are at an advanced stage with over 1,500 workers expected to report for work.

10) More news about BHP

Vale and BHP: reimbursement of R$ 24 billion involving Samarco and the Mariana disaster is challenged in court

A group of Samarco creditors accuses Brazilian Vale and the Anglo-Australian BHP, the company’s owners, of making financial manoeuvres using the Renova Foundation, created to pay compensation owed by Samarco because of the Mariana dam disaster. As a result of the maneuvers, Samarco, under judicial reorganization since April, would have to pay R$ 24 billion (almost US$ 5 billion) to Vale and BHP. This amount represents half of Samarco’s total debt.

BHP looks to double base metals exploration budget, executive says

BHP Group plans to almost double exploration spending for base metals within five years, its Chief Technical Officer Laura Tyler said on Wednesday, after shifting its exploration headquarters to Canada.

11) Rio Tinto and the destruction of Indigenous heritage

No more welcome to country for Rio Tinto, Indigenous owners say

Eastern Guruma people refuse to meet with miner for at least three months in protest over dumping of sacred site artefacts

WA must toughen laws after revelation Rio Tinto dumped priceless Indigenous artefacts, heritage expert says

Archaeologist Peter Veth says ‘traumatic’ mistake at Marandoo iron ore mine cannot be allowed to happen again

Rio kept destruction of Ice Age Australia heritage secret, Aboriginal group says

A Rio Tinto Ltd forerunner failed to protect 18,000-year-old artefacts showing how people lived during the last Ice Age, part of destruction that the mining giant kept secret for decades, an Australian Aboriginal group alleged.

Australian Aboriginal opposition mounts to new state heritage laws

Opposition is mounting from Australian Indigenous groups to draft Western Australian heritage legislation as groups say there is little change to regulations that allowed Rio Tinto to destroy culturally and historically important caves last year.

US Justice department backs land swap for Rio Tinto’s Arizona copper mine

The US government said it backs a 2,400-acre land exchange that would allow Rio Tinto to move forward with its majority-owned Resolution Copper project in Arizona, despite opposition by Native American groups and environmentalists.

12) Rio Tinto declares force majeure, violence halts operations at Richards Bay, South Africa

Rio Tinto declared force majeure on customer contracts at Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) in KwaZulu-Natal and halted operations a month after the assassination of its general manager of operations, Nico Swart. Rio Tinto said it decided to halt operations at the mine because of the escalation of violence.

13) Revealed: the UK’s business links to Nagorno-Karabakh

During last year’s war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the UK government supported opening up the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh for mining

14) Mining and the attack on Indigenous rights in Brazil

The war on Indigenous rights in Brazil is intensifying

The Bolsonaro government is using legislation and the courts to try to deprive indigenous people of their rights.

Firing arrows, indigenous people in Brazil protest bill curtailing land rights

Several hundred indigenous Brazilians protested outside the Congress building in Brasilia against a bill backed by the country’s farm sector that would limit recognition of reservation lands.

15) Death of anti-mining campaigner Fr Stan Swamy

India: Human rights defender Fr Stan Swamy SJ has died

Fr Stan dedicated his life to marginalised people in India, for which he will forever be remembered. He fought hard for the land rights of Adivasi and Dalit communities against multi-national companies and mining businesses. He was unfairly arrested by the National Investigation Agency of India on fictitious charges about his advocacy work being linked to Maoist terrorism.

Asian bishops hail Fr Stan as a martyr

The Catholic bishops of Asia have expressed their sorrow at the death of jailed Jesuit priest Father Stan Swamy, describing him as the “latest saint of modern India’s poor”.

16) Coal’s ups and downs

Letter to banks on climate change

115 investors representing $4.2 trillion have asked 63 banks to strengthen climate & biodiversity strategies before COP26. The letter calls on banks to align with IEA’s NetZero scenario as a minimum – or another 1.5C scenario with low overshoot.

Unrelenting coal demand poses challenge to climate goals

Coal prices across Asia are surging to records, underscoring a challenge for governments seeking a faster energy transition: the dirtiest of fuels they’re racing to phase out is enjoying booming demand.

Do Not Revive Coal: Planned Asia coal plants a danger to Paris

Do Not Revive Coal is the third annual report in Carbon Tracker’s Powering Down Coal series. The report finds around 70% of the global fleet relies to some degree on policy support and would likely be unprofitable in the absence of market distortions. Coal is increasingly unviable both financially and environmentally and is ceasing to make sense as an option for investors and governments.

UK brings coal exit forward one year to October 2024

The UK has brought forward the exit from coal-fired power generation by one year to 2024, energy and climate change minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said June 30.

No appeal made by Banks over Newcastle coal mine rejection

The firm behind efforts to turn green belt land on the outskirts of Newcastle into a coal mine will not fight to revive the rejected plans.

Ascot declines to renew insurance policy for Adani coal mine

Lloyd’s of London insurer Ascot has declined to renew an existing policy for Adani Mining’s Carmichael coal mine project in Queensland when it expires in September 2021, climate campaigners have confirmed.

Wales’ Post Coal Goal

Transitioning away from coal needs the Welsh Government to commit to making tips safe and creating a roadmap for the transition of workers, writes Daniel Therkelsen.

Absolute Zero: Every new climate pledge is to distract people from the failed ones it replaces

This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a press release.

17) Batteries, renewables and human rights

Climate-change impacts of graphite production higher than reported

The true climate change impacts of producing battery-grade graphite can be as much as 10 times higher than published values, depending on the energy and material inputs, a new report by environmental consultancy and software provider Minviro states.

CHART: Study predicts over 400% increase in copper, lithium, nickel battery demand

BloombergNEF has upped its predictions for annual demand for lithium-ion batteries by more than a third from its previous forecast on the back of expectations for rapid growth in the passenger vehicle segment.

Mines produce more waste than metal

The energy transition has found itself in the hands of mining companies, right as those same companies confront a major crisis of credibility. Mines produce metals, but they also produce waste, including tailings. In most cases, in fact, tailings overwhelmingly exceed the metals that later goes for sale. In terms of quantity, waste is the main product of a mine.

Mining holds the key to a green future – no wonder human rights activists are worried

Renewable energy will rely heavily on an industry already berated for human rights violations.

The rush to ‘go electric’ comes with a hidden cost: destructive lithium mining

As the world moves towards electric cars and renewable grids, demand for lithium is wreaking havoc in northern Chile.

Salt to Stars

The environment and community impacts of lithium mining in the Andes.

Neoextractivism and state violence: Defending the defenders in Latin America

The commodities boom in the early 2000s extended the frontiers of extractivism and has relied on state violence, making Latin America one of the most dangerous and deadly places for indigenous peoples and frontline community defenders. Focused on Peru and Colombia, this essay explores dynamics of state violence and strategies for effective resistance.

Does a New ‘Gold Standard’ Really Protect Miners?

Many products these days come with the promise that workers and communities all along their supply line are protected from abuse under a particular standard or code of conduct. Since the United Nations adopted the Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights a decade ago, a plethora of such certification systems have emerged, including for mining and connected industries ranging from cars to jewellery and electronics.

Cornish Lithium raises over $8m to boost UK projects

Cornish Lithium, the start-up hoping to lead the development of an industry for the battery metal in the UK, has raised £6 million ($8.3m) through a crowdfunding campaign to progress its work in the ancient mining region of Cornwall, south-west England.

18) Deep Sea Mining and the Pacific Rim

A Mining Startup’s Rush for Underwater Metals Comes With Deep Risks

A seabed mining startup, DeepGreen Metals Inc., has successfully sold itself to investors as a game-changing source of minerals to make electric car batteries that can be obtained in abundance—and at great profit—while minimizing the environmental destruction of mining on land. But there’s strong scientific evidence that the seabed targeted for mining is in fact one of the most biodiverse places on the planet—and increasing reason to worry about DeepGreen’s tantalizing promises.

Mining’s new frontier: Pacific nations caught in the rush for deep-sea riches

Miners are pushing hard to extract metals from the ocean floor, but there is mounting concern about what it might do to the marine environment

How do we stop the plunder of the Pacific? A panel of experts give their solutions

Over the last month, the Guardian has run a major investigative series examining the extractives industries – mining, logging, fishing and the nascent industry of deep-sea mining – in the Pacific. Among the stories of environmental devastation and social harm are also stories of Pacific communities taking control of their resources and succeeding in resisting unwanted extractive projects. As the series comes to a close, four Pacific leaders and thinkers, from across the region, offer solutions to the problem of Pacific plunder.