Indigenous Leaders Appeal Adani Carmichael Mine to United Nations

Australia’s Wangan and Jagalingou indigenous groups appealed to the United Nations this week to voice their opposition to the development of one of the world’s largest coal mines by the Indian company Adani. The traditional land owners hope to shut down construction of the $12 billion mining project in Queensland under the U.N.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, which acknowledges indigenous people’s rights to their traditional lands. This is the latest step in a long series of protests that have plagued Adani since it started developing the project last year.

The Adani Carmichael mine would entail the construction of six open-cut pits and five underground mines on the land of the Wangan and Jagalingou peoples, and would pollute and damage areas that these indigenous groups consider sacred, including the Doongmabulla Springs, a vast wetland that would be drained. According to the senior traditional owner Adrian Burragubba, the groups have “taken this stand because we are tired of being misrepresented by people trying to push their destructive plans onto our people and lands. This is about our rights under international law, and a defence of our culture and country.”

Over the past year, the indigenous groups’ requests have been repeatedly denied by both state and federal governments because many believe that the mine would bolster the Queensland local economy by creating nearly 4000 jobs and increasing global investment in Australia’s energy sector. Even so, many potential investors, including the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, refused a stake in the project because of its potential adverse effects on indigenous peoples.

The Wangan and Jagalingou tribes’ appeal to the U.N. has now brought the issue to an international stage. Conflicts between indigenous groups, who have struggled to hold their ground as the world developed around them, and expanding transnational industries that are less concerned with local customs and traditions are becoming increasingly prevalent. A large scale example of this struggle became apparent in April when indigenous populations protested the construction of hydroelectric power projects in Guatemala. The U.N.’s response to Australia’s indigenous pleas will have resounding implications for the struggles of indigenous populations worldwide.