Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior

Picture of Rainbow Warrior and Hellenic Sea courtesy of www.stuff.co.nz and www.greenpeace.org

click here for video HERE

Hellenic Sea is a coal carrier, filled up with coal destined for India. The coal comes from West Coast, near Greymouth, Stockton mines. And very soon from Pike River Coal as well. In NZ, these mines are operated by state owned company Solid Energy, but Pike River Coal is another new company.

It just natural that in the West Coast coal seams grow wild all over the place. When I had a stint there in late eighties Buller County Council and had a chance travelling the district, all the people had to do is dig the ground at the right places to get coal. If you go to Charleston, you can see the coal seam by the road side.
True that it is not economical to mine because the seam is not thick and some of the coal is not of high quality. ie dirty coal.

Because of isolation, its miles from anywhere, there is not much economic activity, so the West Coasters are the lowest income earner in the nation.

WHy should the people prevented from exploiting Nature's resources if the mining practice is good and doesnt pollute the environment. True that back in the eighties the river in Denniston and Granity runs black, but things has changed from then, the mining practice has improved.

Iam not against coal mining, as long as their practice doesnt desecrate the land. The coal will be used to make steel, which is recycleable, unlike plastic which is from oil.

Plase campaign against fossil fuel first, and against private car use, because that is guzzling a lot of black gold.