One of the ways the mining industry tries to win over local communities is by promising wealth and jobs. In fact, coal mining makes communities poorer, not richer.
At the Community Day of the Keep the Coal in the Hole Summer Festival in Southland in January 2012, Jeanette Fitzsimons presented research that demonstrates this. Just look at all the red figures on this slide (click on the image to see the full-size version):
Not exactly an economic bonanza, is it?
You can see all the Community Day presentations from the Summer Festival, including the rest of Jeanette’s presentation, on our website.
Coal Action Network Aotearoa 