Until mining companies take responsibility, we’ll keep pushing

Opinion: Martin Brook’s article ‘If you’re going to protest, at least walk the talk‘ was a response to peaceful demonstrations carried out at Victoria University of Wellington last month, where the student activist group Climate Action and Resistance VUW protested in front of two stalls that intended to recruit young students into the mining industry.
As students who organise against major contributors to the climate crisis, such as multinational companies that engage in destructive mining practices, we are accustomed to the arguments deployed to belittle our cause. In the interests of “mature conversation”, let’s examine why we took action, and why calling for students to let mining companies off the hook might be less constructive than at first glance.
In an article published on the bulletin page of its website, the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), one of the companies that were protested against, write that “Fugitive methane [rogue methane that escapes] from coal mining contributes 32 Mt or almost six percent to Australia’s national emissions”. But it barely acknowledges the harm that comes from the coal that it digs up. Instead of taking responsibility for all the emissions of its practices, AusIMM seeks to do the bare minimum in making “realistic decarbonisation plans to aid in continuing social licence”, while boasting it is involved in some of the biggest coal mines in the world, a far cry from “leaving fossil fuels largely in the past” as Brook suggests. This shows its priorities are not in “facilitating the conversion from fossil fuel energy to green energy”. The desperation for organisations such as AusIMM to hold onto their social licence while continuing with destructive and deadly coal mining at the expense of people, the planet and future generations, shows their true colours and lack of accountability.
Furthermore, contrary to Brook’s assertion that “it’s extremely difficult to have a mature conversation”, protesters did engage in a civil and comprehensive discussion with Rio Tinto and AusIMM representatives at the event.
The institute’s personnel even thanked us for the respectful manner in which we conducted the action, pointing to coal’s ‘essential’ place within the steel industry, which produces renewable energy infrastructure. It is important to note, however, that in the last year alone almost enough steel was produced globally to satisfy the two billion tonnes estimated by the MIT Technology Review to facilitate a full transition to renewables. Evidently profit, and not sustainable energy production, is the driving factor of the steel industry, which contributes 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, steel production is possible without the use of coal as seen in Sweden.
Although Rio Tinto, the other company that was protested against, has divested from fossil fuels, the mining monolith’s practices are far from ethical or sustainable. Accusations of human rights violations emerged after Rio Tinto’s Panguna mine caused “poisoned water, polluted fields, and a ruined river valley”. In April 2024, Madagascan villagers in Anosy announced they were initiating proceedings against Rio Tinto for contaminating local water supplies, after tests revealed residents had dangerous levels of lead in their blood. The effects of Rio Tinto’s malpractice can be found closer ashore as well; a number of news reports in 2022 show that the Rio-Tinto owned Tiwai Point aluminium smelter in Bluff was unable to effectively manage its cyanide-containing toxic waste, which could severely pollute local ground and sea water. With additional accusations of covering up indigenous artefact destruction, it’s clear Rio Tinto isn’t transparent, responsible, or trustworthy.
We did not directly prevent anyone from speaking to the stallholders by merely standing in front of the stalls, and they packed down and left of their own volition. Rio Tinto representatives and neighbouring stallholders also expressed their appreciation of the peaceful nature of our protest, and we received plenty of expressions of approval from members of the student body; very different to the “intimidating atmosphere” Brook alleges.
Students are acutely aware of their positions within unsustainable and exploitative systems of consumption, and it’s complete nonsense to suggest anyone who wishes to protest against such systems must live entirely outside of them. The insidious nature of capitalism is that it is seemingly impossible to escape, being embedded in everything we do. Yes, activists use smartphones and digital cameras as tools, but we would be shooting ourselves in the foot if we didn’t.
Telling students to ‘do their own research’ is a far cry from a mature conversation that Brook (rightly) suggests Aotearoa is in need of. The truth is that the current energy transition has failed, with the planet’s average temperature rise since pre-industrial times blasting over 1.6C for 12 consecutive months, and the UN environment chief saying we only have “two years to save the world”. The situation is urgent and catastrophic. Until students are satisfied that mining companies are taking responsibility for the life-threatening impacts of their industry, we will continue to organise against their destructive practices and push for a sustainable future.
Caspian Rive, Hugh Acton and Colden Sapir are members of Climate Action & Resistance VUW and students at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.