Adani and the problem for progressives -- Adani u l-problema għall-progressivi

 

In the Maltese diaspora outside of Australia, perhaps the word Adani does not evoke any images, however in Australia the word, which is an Indian surname, represents a proposal for a gigantic mine for thermal coal, which is used to heat water, generate steam that turns turbines to produce electricity.  The majority of the coal to be produced is expected to be exported to India.

 

The scale of the Carmichael mine, named for the homonymous river that passes through the site, can be measured when considering that its proponent, Adani Mining, a subsidiary of the Adani Group of India, says it should produce in its first stage 10MTPA (million tonnes per annum).  This is a bit bigger than other mines in the Hunter Valley in NSW and Bowen Basin in Queensland.1  The original proposal for the project was for 60MTPA.

 

Those in favour of the mine mention primarily the expected economic advantages, such as the thousands of jobs expected to be created, and billions of dollars in payments to the state and landowners where the activity is proposed.

 

The project attracted significant opposition from environmental groups, those concerned about climate change and others.  Example of the criticism that was made and still is include the huge utilisation of surface and sub-surface water; that the burning of coal will contribute substantially to climate change and this for decades; and the lack of protection of land with indigenous significance.2

 

I have sympathy with these arguments, but am a bit concerned with the tactics I’ve seen employed.  For example, just before the last federal election, a rally was organised for those opposed to the project that left Hobart in Tasmania and kept going all the way until it reached the location of the proposed digging, the Galilee Basin in Queensland.  This activity had a lot of support, but also generated lots of opposition from people in Queensland who considered participants as outsiders who wanted to interfere and stopping them earning their bread and butter.  This activity in fact is considered to be one of the main reasons why the Labor Party, which exhibited considerable ambiguity with regards to this project, to lose the election, and go particularly awry in Queensland.

 

Now there is pressure being made against any type of cooperation between enterprises offering commercial services (such as infrastructure building) and Adani Mining.3

 

When I read all this, although I understand the motivation of those involved, I often ask myself if too much attention is being devoted to what is not wanted, rather than what is wanted.

 

Let me explain my thinking with an example.  Today cars and trucks in their vast majority work with petrol and diesel, as electric cars are still in their infancy.  The burning of these fossil fuels also contributes to climate change.  Imagine a new company cropping up wanting to sell these fuels, and all hell breaking loose in order to try and stop it.  If this opposition is successful, are there enough other existing companies that can continue to supply the on-road fleet?

 

In other words, instead of trying to stop those trying to supply coal, perhaps it is better to concentrate on how to reduce demand for it.  Both roads lead to the same outcome, that is coal ultimately remaining in the ground and be unburnt.

What I am suggesting is not so revolutionary.  Today there are sufficient examples that to extend the reach of electricity to regions which do not have any, such as whole regions in India, this is possible to be achieved by many small self-contained projects, each a small independent grid with a number of small generators running off renewable energy and storage for energy that remains unused, rather than a small number of massive power stations that probably run off coal.

 

This can be done when communities pool their resources and come to an agreement to make a big step change in their quality of life.  The financing of such initiatives is today more possible than it ever was.  Political and social organisations that are forward lookng and having a vision of society functioning without greenhouse gas pollution that leads to climate change, can in conjunction with others across countries participate and launch initiatives that provide education to what can be achieved with today’s technologies; create markets where those needing finance can access a market of others ready to provide this finance; and provide technical assistance so that such projects become reality.

 

I have in mind for example versions of initiatives in micro-finance that were set up some years ago in developing nations, dedicated to this aim, or to use peer-to-peer lending platforms so that the lack of finance is removed as an impediment for the revolution that needs to occur, and this in all countries that have such a need, including those in the so-called third world.

 

Let us cooperate with the willing, rather than oppose the unwilling.

 

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Fid-dijaspora Maltija barra mill-Awstralja, forsi l-kelma Adani tfisser ftit li xejn, imma f’dik Awstraljana dik il-kelma, li hija kunjom Indjan, tirrappreżenta proposta ta’ minjiera ġganteska tal-faħam tat-tip termali, li jintuża biex jitgħalla l-ilma, u l-fwar li jiġi prodott idawwar turbini li jiġġeneraw l-elettriku.  Il-biċċa l-kbira tal-faħam propost huwa mistenni li jiġi esportat l-Indja.

 

Il-kobor tal-minjiera Carmichael, imsemmija għax-xmara omonima li tgħaddi f’nofs is-sit, tista’ titqies meta tikkunsidra li l-proponenti tagħha, Adani Mining, sussidjarja tal-Adani Group tal-Indja, jgħidu li għandha tipproduċi fl-ewwel stadju tagħha 10MTPA (miljun tunnellati ta’ faħam fis-sena). Din tiġi ftit ikbar minn minjieri oħra f’Hunter Valley ta’ NSW u Bowen Basin f’ Queensland.1  Il-proposta oriġinali tal-proġett kien ta’ 60MTPA.

 

Dawk favur il-minjiera isemmu primarjament vantaġġi ekonomiċi, bħal eluf ta’ impjiegi li mistennija li jinħolqu, u biljuni ta’ dollari fi ħlasijiet lill-istat u s-sidien tal-art fejn huwa propost li jsir l-attività.

 

Il-proġett qajjem oppożizzjoni minn gruppi ambjentalisti, dawk inkwetati mit-tibdil tal-klima u oħrajn.  Eżempji tal-kritika li saret u għadha ssir huma l-użu kbir ta’ ilma minn xmajjar u saffi ta’ blat ta’ taħt l-art; li l-ħruq tal-faħam se jikkontribwixxi b’mod sostanzjali għat-tibdil tal-klima u dan għal għexieren ta’ snin; li ma jiġux imħarsa artijiet b’valur indiġenu.2

 

Jien dawn l-argumenti tal-aħħar għandi simpatija magħhom, imma nitħasseb daqsxejn bit-tattiċi li osservajt.  Per eżempju, ftit qabel l-elezzjoni federali li għaddiet, saret ralli ta’ persuni opposti għall-proġett li telaq minn Hobart f’Tasmania u baqa tiela’ sal-post fejn hu propost li jsir it-taħfir, il-Galilee Basin ta’ Queensland.  Din l-attività kellha ħafna appoġġ, imma ġġenerat ukoll ħafna opposizzjoni minn-nies ta’ Queensland li qiesu lill-parteċipanti bħala barranin li riedu jindaħlu u jtellfulhom il-ħobża ta’ kuljum.  Din l-attività fil-fatt titqies li kienet waħda mir-raġunijiet prinċipali għalfejn il-Partit Laburista, li wera ambigwità fil-politika tiegħu lejn dan il-proġett, u tilef l-elezzjoni, mar partikolarment ħażin ġewwa Queensland.

 

Bħalissa qed ukoll isir pressjoni kontra kull tip ta’ kooperazzjoni bejn impriżi li joffru servizzi kummerċjali (bħal ngħidu aħna bini ta’ infrastruttura) u l-Adani Mining.3

 

Meta naqra dan kollu, għalkemm nifhem il-motivazzjoni tal-gruppi involuti, spiss nistaqsi lili nnifsi jekk humiex qed jinvestu l-attenzjoni tagħhom wisq fuq x’ma jridux, u inqas fuq dak li jridu.

 

Ħalli nispjega x’irrid ngħid b’eżempju.  Illum il-karrozzi u t-trakkijiet fil-biċċa l-kbira tagħhom jaħdmu bil-petrol u bid-diżil, għax il-karrozzi tal-elettriku għadhom fl-infanzja tagħhom.  Il-ħruq ta’ dawn il-fuwils ukoll jikkontribwixxu għat-tibdil tal-klima.  Immaġina li kieku titfaċċa kumpannija ġdida li trid tbigħ dawn il-fuwils, u jqumu l-irwiefen kollha biex iwaqqfuha.  Jekk jirnexxielhom, m’hemmx il-kumpanniji l-eżistenti l-oħra li jistgħu ikomplu jissuplixxu lill-flotta ta’ fuq it-toroq?

 

Fi kliem ieħor, minflok ma jippruvaw iwaqqfu lil min irid iforni l-faħam, forsi jkun aħjar li jitnaqqas id-domanda għalih.  Dawn it-toroq it-tnejn iwasslu għall-istess skop aħħari, ċjoe li l-faħam finalment jibqa’ fl-art u ma jinħaraqx.

 

Dan li qed nissuġġerixxi mhux daqshekk rivoluzzjonarju.  Illum hemm biżżejjed eżempji li biex wieħed iwassal l-enerġija elettrika fejn m’hemmx, bħal ma huma reġjuni sħaħ fl-Indja, huwa possibbli li jkun hemm ħafna proġetti żgħar, kull wieħed grid żgħir b’ħafna ġeneraturi żgħar b’enerġija li tiġġedded u l-ħażna ta’ enerġija li ma tintużax, iktar milli numru żgħir ta’ impjanti kbar li aktarx jitħaddmu bil-faħam.

 

Dan jista’ jsir fejn komunitajiet jgħaqqdu r-riżorsi tagħhom u jiftiehmu biex jagħmlu qabża kbira fil-kwalità tal-ħajja.  L-iffinanzjar ta’ inizjattivi ta’ dan it-tip huwa possibbli illum iktar minn qatt qabel.  Organizzazzjonijiet politiċi u soċjali li jixtiequ jħarsu ‘l quddiem u għandhom viżjoni ta’ soċjetà li tiffunzjona mingħajr ma’ tniġġeż l-arja bil-gassijiet li jwasslu għat-tibdil tal-klima, jistgħu bi sħab ma oħrajn f’pajjiżi oħra jipparteċipaw u jwaqqfu inizjattivi li jedukaw lil min hu interessat x’jista’ jsir bit-tekonoloġija li teżisti llum; li jinħolqu swieq fejn min għandu bżonn finanzjament jitlaqqa’ ma’ min dan il-finanzjar jista’ jagħmlu; u li tiġi offerta assistenza teknika biex proġetti simili jkunu jistgħu jsiru realtà.

 

Għandi f’moħħi per eżempju verżjonijiet tal-inizjattivi ta’ mikro-finanza li twaqqfu xi snin ilu f’pajjiżi li qed jiżviluppaw, li jkunu dedikati għal dan l-għan, jew li jintużaw pjattaformi ta’ tislif peer-to-peer ħalli n-nuqqas ta’ finanzi ma jkunx ta’ impediment għar-rivoluzzjoni li għad trid issir, u din fil-pajjiżi kollha li hemm bżonn, inklużi dawk il-pajjiżi tat-tielet dinja.

 

Nikkoperaw ma’ min irid, iktar milli nopponu lil min ma jridx.

 

 

1https://www.adaniaustralia.com/projects-businesses/mine, retrieved 16/9/2019

2https://www.stopadani.com/, retrieved 16/9/2019

3https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-15/adani-contractor-staffer-leaking-to-environmental-protesters/11511410, retrieved 16/9/2019

1https://www.adaniaustralia.com/projects-businesses/mine, retrieved 16/9/2019

2https://www.stopadani.com/, retrieved 16/9/2019

3https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-15/adani-contractor-staffer-leaking-to-environmental-protesters/11511410, retrieved 16/9/2019