Australia’s Coal Production is Sinking

Australian coal production is down because of the smoke from the bushfires that make equipment harder to operate, – said BHP Billiton, international natural resources company, the biggest mining company in Australia, in a trading update on Tuesday. Australia’s bushfire season resulted in reduced air quality, which has impacted December 2019 production.

From the second half of the last year, energy coal production went down by 11%, compared with 2018. Mines in Australia changed focus to produce higher-quality products, reducing their quantity, favored by Chinese consumers.

BHP assumes that if air quality continues to deteriorate, then operations could be constrained further in the first six months of this year.

BHP is to Blame for Contributing to Global Warming

As the critics say, thermal coal, burnt in power stations to generate electricity, is one of the main contributors to global warming. Other Australian coal miners have reported that bushfires with smoke and dust make the roads less visible for truck drivers. Some staff is unable to work because they’ve been fighting the fire.

Several non-profit organizations referred to this problem. Rachel Kennerley, a climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, claims that Fossil fuel companies recklessly ignored the climate crisis. Now bushfire made it evident how important it is that they stop burning fossil fuels. She believes that the Australian government needs to do more to fight the climate crisis.

According to CDP, the organization that is supporting companies to disclose the environmental impact, BHO is one of the top twenty greenhouse gas producers since 1988. It is also the largest producer of coal used in manufacturing processes, including steel production.

Mel Evans from Greenpeace UK claims that instead of changing paths and warning investors of the dangers of coal, BHP chose to regret the fact they can’t keep fueling the climate emergency as quickly as they’d like.

Thermal coal is only a small part of BHP’s overall business. Melbourne based company also produces copper, iron, and petroleum and has mining operations. Not only in Australia but North America and South America.

Are the Conditions Going to Improve?

Thanks to rainfall, the conditions have improved – reports Whitehaven Coal, the leading Australian producer of premium-quality coal. But analysts don’t believe it will have sufficient impact, as it only lasts for a limited period.

Australian authorities warned that severe conditions could continue in the next few days now that a brief period of torrential rain and flash flooding has ended. Weather forecasts announce the rise of the temperature in central parts of Victoria state and neighboring South Australia.