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Hogsback reckons it is scandalous that a few protestors should be able to stop a conference that has attracted some of the world's leading coal academics and practitioners over the last 22 years.
The Coal2020 conference, which was scheduled to be held in Wollongong in February, has been deferred by the University of Wollongong "as part of a short-term refocusing of university priorities".
This conference is an example of how Australia's coal industry can generate intellectual property that can make mining safer, more environmentally friendly, and more productive.
Attendees come from all over the world to participate in the conference, which has been organized by the Australian Institute of Mines and veteran mining professor Naj Aziz and hosted by the University of Wollongong.
However, it seems even in one of the heartlands of NSW's coal mining industry - the Illawarra - the continual anti-coal message being pushed by the mainstream media is drowning out the voice of reason and an intelligent path to industry development.
The Coal2020 conference is not going to destroy the environment and ruin the planet for the future.
Not only does it provide a forum for sharing innovation in mining, it attracts tourism to the Illawarra and highlights the opportunities for value adding to this region's substantial coal mining industry.
Hogsback is getting increasingly tired of reading media reports of events of major importance that are packaged up as pro-climate change fodder.
The recent Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland is a good example of this.
The world might be teetering on global recession and Davos might have attracted most of the world's leading decision makers, however, the local news devoted all of its coverage to 17-year-old Swedish school girl Greta Thundberg and her anger at not enough being done on climate change.
Surely, we need to have some more perspective in the debate about climate change with the opportunity for intelligent contributions from mining academics to be able to present their insights and possible solutions for the future.
