Unearthing the sun : making sense of the proposed coal developments in the Galilee Basin
Date
2015
Authors
Duus, Sonya
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The Galilee Basin is a major coal basin in central-west Queensland on the brink of being 'opened up' for the first time. However, almost every component of the proposed developments has been clouded by controversy, with the prospect of substantial negative consequences at local, regional and global levels. In particular, the proposed coal developments in the Galilee Basin appear woefully out of step with the imperative to limit the production and consumption of fossil fuels in the face of global warming. This thesis examines the plans and controversies in the Galilee Basin as an example of human society's coal conundrum; coal is central to the development and functioning of modern industrial society, yet a continuing reliance on coal will severely challenge the safe operating space for humans on planet Earth. It is a situation that demands engagement with the complex social and environmental dimensions of humanity's continuing dependence on fossil fuels. I identify and explore some of the systemic factors driving coal development in the Galilee Basin by locating current events in a broad historical view. Guided by the fields of human ecology and environmental history, I consider a number of key nested historical contexts that help to explain the impetus behind Australian coal development, as well as the often uncomfortable coexistence of coal-based development with other industries and values. Current dilemmas in the Galilee Basin are situated in the context of the region itself, as well as in the longer story of coal in Queensland, Australia, early industrial Britain, and the planetary scale picture of carbon and fossil fuels. Coal is found to be inextricably entwined in the technological, economic, political, and cultural fabric of modern society. While there are broadly similar patterns across the industrialised world, there are distinctive features about the biophysical and sociocultural history of Australia that have enabled an especially prominent role for coal. From a broad historical perspective it is evident that there are multilayered, historically charged, forces propelling coal mining in the Galilee Basin. But also, the proposed developments come at a time when the costs of coal are starting to overwhelm its long perceived benefits. The Galilee Basin is thus at a unique crossroads in time. How events play out in the region will, to a large extent, reflect the complex global struggle to forge a future beyond fossil fuels. The discussion and findings from this research are also relevant to discussions about the multi-dimensional aspects of energy more generally, and how humanity might think about energy choices in the decades to come.
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Thesis (PhD)
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