In the second event of SEI’s Communities on the Frontline Series, filmmaker Kim Nguyen sits down with coal industry representatives and climate activists to unpack how we can support coal mining communities in the just transition away from fossil fuels.

With more frequent climate disasters unfolding here in Australia and around the world, the need to act has never been greater. But the pace of change, and the transitioning away from fossil fuels, urgently needs to speed up.

One of the key rationales used to oppose transition is in ensuring the welfare of communities that work in the fossil fuel industries, and coal mining in particular. This consideration cannot be overlooked, but what if we could get these communities to support an energy transition? It could remove one of the last political hurdles to climate action in this space.

Join us for the screening of a new documentary, Conversations with Coal Miners about Climate Change, by filmmaker Kim Nguyen in production with VICE and the Walkley Foundation. The film explores how activist communities and coal mining communities in central Queensland can work together to find solutions to both the climate crisis and ensuring job security for coal industry workers.  However, the discussion and action after the film is when the real work begins as these towns need practical alternative employment when coal jobs run out. Following the screening, we’ll hear from representatives from the coal industry and the climate movement to unpack these conflicting issues and how we can move forward.

Speakers

Grant Howard, coal mine worker from the Bowen Basin, Queensland

Dr Robert MacNeil, Department of Government and International Relations

Kim Paul Nguyen, filmmaker and journalist

Andy Paine, activist for Frontline Action on Coal

This event is part of the Sydney Environment Institute’s Communities on the Frontline Series, which explores the impacts of a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy on a range of local communities on the frontline. This event series links multiple SEI research projects, including Unsettling Resources and Grounded Imaginaries, and highlights the work of the Institute in addressing those often left behind by systemic changes. The series features multiple events that delve into the social and ethical implications of a just transition in the Australian energy sector.