Ethics in Mining

The Maules Creek Area in New South Wales has a forest home to a great biodiversity and a community, which sits on top of a large coal deposit about to be mined by the Whitehaven Coal Company. This problem has led to many controversies in the past years, and has resolved to finally let the mining company start its project in the near future. To address this important situation we must consider all the issues around it and the ethical responsibilities of the players to know which course of action would have been the best. In this essay we try to examine the problem from every perspective and list the social responsibilities of the different institutions involved to evaluate their decisions and express the best course of action. First, we will understand the case and its past attempts to mine the area and how Whitehaven finally got the approvals to start mining. Also, we will list the social, environmental and economic issued involving the situation and how each of them is affected by the project. Then, we will examine the main entities and systems involved to show the amount of responsibility each one of these hold for the project's continuity. Although all of them have a certain responsibility, it is important to understand who is the most responsible for it. Finally, a personal opinion, based on analyzing the obligations and social responsibilities, according to the free market economy theories, will be expressed on how I would act as the chairman of the company. This decision will be also a possible course of action for the way the project is developed. It is essential that no project is done without considering the effects it will have, and understanding how the obligations and responsibilities of each player can change if there are correct modifications to regulations and corporate governance.