The Health effects of Climate Change

							   The Health Effects
of Lignite Coal mining
in Southland and Otago

  Russell Tregonning
      Ora Taiao
        Who are OraTaiao:
       NZ Climate & Health?
•   140+ senior doctors and other NZ health professionals
    gravely concerned about the impacts of climate
    change(CC) as the leading global health threat this
    century

•   the threat from CC supercedes the mortality from
    heart disease, cancer, AIDS/HIV, the diabetes
    epidemic-all combined—
        Source--recent editorials in leading international
        medical journals eg The British Medical Journal,
        The Lancet etc.
Where do I come from?
What do I do?
Why am I talking about lignite?
• Burning coal CO2Climate change

• Climate Change is the #1global health
  hazard
(World Health Organisation, World
Medical Assoc. etc)

• Mining, processing and using coal is a
  health risk to people living locally

• Surgeons are charged- “to advocate
   for improvements in individual and
   public health”
 ( Aus. & NZ College of Surgeons’ Code of
Conduct)
The cause of the current
(unprecedented) rapid
  change in climate.
The global effects of
  climate change
      Why come to Mataura?
     -6 billion tonnes of recoverable lignite
NZ(pp) is already 4th highest global GHG emitter
Climate Change threatens
 all human health needs
• Adequate, safe water & food
• Secure shelter & settlements
• Freedom from major pathogenic
  organisms
• Clean air to breathe
• Political stability
   NZ- may be particularly
attractive to climate refugees
Coal’s Assault on Human Health
“coal pollutants affect all major body organ
systems and contribute to four of the five
leading causes of mortality in the US: heart
disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic lower
respiratory diseases
….each step of the coal lifecycle—mining,
transportation, washing, combustion, and
disposing of post- combustion wastes—impacts
human health.”
Physicians For Social Responsibility-- Nov 2009
www.psr.org/coalreport
    Possible direct health
   effects on Southlanders
      AIR POLLUTION
• Particulate matter from coal (particularly fly
  ash) contain carcinogens, heavy metals &
  other toxic substances(eg Sox and Nox)
           These may cause-
• cancer, infant death &  neurol.dev (IQ)
• chronic heart, lung & kidney diseases (cf US
  Appalachians)
• Asthma, diabetes, and ischaemic strokes
 Other possible direct health effects of
open- cast lignite mines on Southland-
        WATER POLLUTION




• Coal washing( slurry),leaching of waste
    by water, and run-off can poison water
  for humans and aquatic life (eg Stockton)
      • The Mataura River is a taonga
Other direct health impacts
    of lignite mining
                •Noise and
                vibration

                •Accidents

                •Dust

                •Effects on
                vulnerable groups
                including children
  Indirect health impacts
       NB Definition of Health (WHO)-

=complete physical,mental and social well-being


  o Loss of physical amenity-
     • Visual pollution & environ. desructn
     • trucks ( road safety),
     • space
  o Economic,employment and income
  o Social capital-migration, protest
    Solid Energy’s consents-
     pilot briquette plant
       - burn approx 15,000 tons of lignite and produce 600
       tons of coal ash discharge per annum (the company
       describes the ash as “benign”)
Already has consent for-
        -discharge 5805 cu metres of treated mine water ‘ into
       water’ (? get to Mataura River-surely must in time?)

-       -discharge ash, sludge and general process water to land
         as backfill to a mine pit

         -discharge 50,000 tons of ash to land per annum at the
         New Vale mine
    -
We know what to do to beat
     climate change-
THE LOW-C ECONOMY
     Also-The low-carbon
    economy improves our
            health
• HEALTHY TRANSPORT
 active & public transport physical
activity
safety on roads air pollution

• HEALTHY HOUSING
energy efficiencycheaper electricity &
  warmer housesless lung & other disease
My main reason for coming to Mataura?
DO WE CARE?
             Do we care?
• About contributing to the global #1 health
  problem
• About our clean green image and
  protecting it against our export competitors
• About giving our children and theirs the
  downsides of fossil fuels while we enjoy the
  benefits
• About desecrating the fertile Mataura valley
  and risking the health of its residents
    If the answer is YES, we must

    KEEP THE COAL IN THE HOLE!
  Health Impact Assessment
• A formal process to predict the health
  effects of the lignite plans to allow
  mitigation of them
• Should be independent (not in-house),
  prospective & comprehensive
• Investigates the health of the miners,
  the surrounding Mataura community,
  the waterways & other environment
  which must include climate change
    WHAT CAN WE DO?
1. PREVENTION

• Inform and educate New Zealanders about this project
• Appeal future consents to the Environment Court
• Organise protests. Stop asset sales

2. MITIGATION

• Support Public Health South in its application to
  Environment Southland for a comprehensive Health
  Impact Assessment-to include the world’s #1 health
  problem—climate change
              REFERENCES
• Changing planet, changing health-Epstein & Ferber
  Univ. Of California Press (2011)
• Storms of My Grandchildren-James Hansen-Bloomsbury
  Publishing (2009)
• Lignite & Climate Change: the high cost of low grade
  coal-Report of the parliamentary commissioner for the
  environment (Nov 2010)-www.pce.parliament.nz
• Coal’s assault on human health-Physicians for Social
  Responsibility-www.psr.org/coalreport
• Lignite mining and processing in Southland New
  Zealand: a fossil- fuelled disaster for current and future
  generations. Medical students for global Awareness.
  orataiao.org.nz
•            My email- tregonning&xtra.co.nz