Saving Iceland

A call for action from Denmark.

We stand at a crossroads. The facts are clear. Global climate change, caused by human activities, is happening, threatening the lives and livelihoods of billions of people and the existence of millions of
species. Social movements, environmental groups, and scientists from all over the world are calling for urgent and radical action on climate change.
On the 30th of November, 2009 the governments of the world will come to Copenhagen for the fifteenth UN Climate Conference (COP-15). This will be the biggest summit on climate change ever to have taken place. Yet, previous meetings have produced nothing more than business as usual.
There are alternatives to the current course that is emphasizing false solutions such as market-based approaches and agrofuels. If we put humanity before profit and solidarity above competition we can live amazing lives without destroying our planet.

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Survival International – The Norwegian government has sold its shares in British company Rio Tinto, whose Grasberg mine in West Papua, Indonesia, has devastated the land of the Amungme and Kamoro tribes. Norway sold its almost £500 million shares in Rio Tinto following recommendations from its Council on Ethics to exclude the company from its government pension fund. The Council made its recommendation due to ‘a risk of contributing to severe environmental damage’ through Rio Tinto’s participation in the Grasberg copper and gold mine. Read More

Islandia tiene una reputación de energia limpia y es el ejemplo clásico de la limpia energía geotérmica. Pero recientemente, las corporaciones de aluminio ALCOA, RioTinto-Alcan y Century Aluminum están presionando para un desarrollo geotérmico intensivo y a gran escala para impulsar nuevas fundidoras en la isla, destruyendo grandes tramos de naturaleza intacta. Y esto no es suficiente. Si todos los planes de industria pesada son llevados a cabo, todos los rios glaciales importantes se verán afectados.
La organzación Saving Iceland está llevando a cabo su cuarto campamento de acción directa en medio de la naturaleza islandesa. Read More

A Islândia tem a boa reputação de utilizar energia limpa, sendo muitas vezes o exemplo de matriz energética ecológica. Contudo, recentemente as indústrias de alumínio ALCOA, RioTinto-Alcan e Century Aluminium estão desenvolvendo em larga escala a energia geotérmica para suprir o processo de fundição do alumínio chamado de “smelter”, destruindo grandes extensões de natureza intocada da ilha do subártico. E não pára por aí: se todos os planos da indústria pesada forem executados, os rios glaciais mais importantes também serão represados..
“Saving Iceland” está organizando seu quarto acampamento de ação direta nos campos islandeses. Read More

Alcoa is clearing Western Australia’s old growth Jarrah forests at an incredible rate. Vast areas of State Forest within an hour’s drive south east of Perth, Western Australia, are being devastated by bauxite mining. Jarrah forests are unique and under threat from many areas. They need to be preserved, not cleared. Alcoa’s present mineral lease covers 4,898 sq km of State forest. The current lease extends from Wundowie to the Preston River, south of Collie, plus a pocket at Julimar near Bindoon. Alcoa’s lease allows them access to the bauxite from 1961 to 2044. The Darling Range bauxite is the lowest grade ore mined on a commercial scale anywhere in the world. At present the royalty Alcoa is required to pay is just 1.65% on the value of alumina sales. Alcoa’s refineries at Kwinana, Pinjarra and Wagerup produce some 16 percent of world demand for alumina. Read More

Olga Galacho, The Herald Sun, Victoria, Australia– Aluminium titan Alcoa may pump more carbon into the state’s lungs than most companies. But it would have Victorians believe they can start breathing easy again after yesterday’s announcement that it has been recognised as a sustainability leader in its home country, the United States. The opening of its first new smelter in 20 years, in Iceland and powered by hydro-electricity, has cemented Alcoa’s position in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, it seems.

The index tracks the financial prowess of “leading sustainability-driven” companies, and this year is the seventh in a row that the highly energy-intensive Alcoa has been included.

The news might be a relief to those who were considering investing in portable oxygen tanks after the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) last week named and shamed Alcoa as one of 11 power generation owners doing “zero to reduce their emissions”. Read More

Alcoa has laid off 300 workers in it’s Rockdale smelting facilities in Texas after idling some of the facility. Another 100 contract workers will be affected. The aluminium giant says this is necessary due to unreliable power supply from the energy supplier that is contracted for the smelter, Luminant. That company claims Alcoa is using them as an excuse to fire workers to drive up profitability. Read More

Wake Up, Freak Out – then Get a Grip from Leo Murray.

Rio Tinto Alcan is still planning to construct a new smelter in Iceland, as well as in Canada, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Cameroon. In total the mining and metals giant is planning to expand it’s aluminium production capacity by 2.6 million tons. All the projects are projected to start between 2011 and 2014. Rising energy prices are driving fossil fuel powered smelters out of business, report financial news analysts Bloomberg. Thus Rio Tinto are looking at accelerating hydro-powered smelter construction.
Rio Tinto has thought to construct a new smelter in Thorlakshöfn or Keilisnes. Landsvirkjun have said they do not wish to construct more power plants for another new smelter in South West Iceland, but apparently Rio Tinto Alcan are still counting on it. Currently Budarhals dam in Tungnaa is being constructed to increase production in RTA’s Straumsvik smelter with 40.000 tons.