The A Way Forward report addresses the issues of cultural heritage protection in Australia after Rio Tinto destroyed Juukan Gorge. However, achieving change will be far from straightforward.
Local communities near lithium deposits shouldn’t become zones of sacrifice, shouldering the socio-environmental costs of supporting a renewable energy transition.
For Indigenous people, Country is more than a landscape. But climate change, and the natural disasters it produces, present a clear and present threat to Country, culture and heritage.
A child plays in a street in the port village of Paquitequete near Pemba, northern Mozambique. The region suffered decades of neglect, and major gas projects have failed to deliver local benefits.
Photo by Alfredo Zuniga/AFP via Getty Images
Sam Jones, United Nations University y Finn Tarp, University of Copenhagen
The development strategy based on foreign investment in natural resources projects has not delivered economic growth or security. What’s needed is an inclusive vision based on local realities.
The destruction of one ancient rock shelter is devastating. But there’s a greater loss to cultural heritage that is occurring from the ‘cumulative impacts’ of mining operations in WA.
The Juukan Gorge site following its destruction by Rio Tinto in May 2020.
PKKP Aboriginal Corporation
For far too long, mining companies have let their social and cultural heritage commitments slide. The inquiry report should be a wake-up call for the industry.
Participants in the Wintawari Guruma Rock Art Research Project record rock art near Tom Price in the Pilbara region.
Jo McDonald, CRAR+M Database, Photo reproduced with permission WGAC
There are many questions about the inquiry into the destruction of an Aboriginal heritage site, including how it will be conducted, what will be publicly disclosed and who will be protected.
Juukan Gorge photographed May 15.
Puutu Kunti Kurrama And Pinikura Aboriginal Corporation
It’s a devastating loss, but the destruction of a culturally significant Aboriginal site is not an isolated incident. Rio Tinto was acting within the law.
Mineral-rich Mongolia is experiencing a mining boom, but its growth is creating distrust and conflict with herder communities.
As the mining stops and the repair begins, the commitment of mining companies and government regulators are being put to the test on a global scale.
AAP Image/Tara Ravens
The shareholder resolution on climate change at Rio Tinto’s AGM is another indication of how much investor culture is tilting towards demanding that companies take a responsible climate stance.
Queensland Alumina is a joint venture between Rio Tinto and Rusal.
AAP
Many contracts have been ended in cases of war or changes in the law. But government action making a contract more expensive does not mean it will be terminated.
And if you wait too long to survey a community, it can end up being too be too late to turn the tide of opinion.
Richard Swinton
‘Social licence to operate’ is a term describing how much community support a project or company has. As the Northern Rivers CSG experience shows, failing to get it can have costly impacts for firms.