Do coal-related health harms constitute a resource curse? A case study from Australia's Hunter Valley

Abstract

The term ‘resource curse’ was coined to describe the phenomenon, usually associated with developing nations, that occurs when the costs and harms of extracting and exporting natural resources outweigh the economic benefits. We argue that this applies to developed countries as well as developing countries; at the local not only national level; and that the magnitude of the associated health burden warrants the inclusion of health in resource curse theory and discourse. With coal mines and power plants in close proximity to human habitat and pastoral land, Australia's Hunter Valley provides a natural laboratory for exploring these issues in local coal mining communities. We identified literature from the Hunter Valley and compared the findings with the international literature on the resource curse using an existing framework which covered (i) socio-economic, (ii) political and (iii) ecological issues, and adding (iv) health as the fourth component. Despite some variations and knowledge deficiencies there was considerable congruence between the Hunter Valley and the resource curse theory. Effects reported, and mechanisms by which they are promulgated, substantively reflect many aspects of the resource curse literature. Further, the extent and economic impact of coal related health harms warrants the inclusion of health in resource curse discourse.