There are young Spaniards earning $ 10,000 a month in the Australian coal mines. But everything that shines is not gold

“I’m going to show you how $ 5,000 every two weeks in Australia.” This is how a young Spanish named ‘Tonylopezz13’ opens a Video on Tiktok which was published a few days ago and that went viral. The premise is attractive, especially when we have the 13,81.33 euros of minimum salary in Spainbut it turns out that ‘Tony’ is not such an isolated case. There are more young Spaniards, but also from other countries that move to Australia with a goal: work in a mine. Of course, it has a small print. The Australian dream. Foreign immigrants in Australia represent a low percentage compared to other nationalities, but since 2015, when visa ‘was created’Working Holiday‘, fate became something more attractive. Australia has a high cost of life, but also one of the Base salaries higher in the world ($ 24.10 per hour, depending on the sector, becoming much higher in technological, health or mining jobs) and this visa allows a young man between 18 and 30 years to spend 12 months in the country. There are another series of visas, such as students who allow you to work certain hours per week or those who are issued to qualified workers who are hired by an Australian company. Since then, it is estimated that some 5,000 young Spaniards access the Australian labor market, many in this way and, as we see on social networks, some to work in Mines. Coal. Australia is one of the most muscle countries in the production and export of coal. Mainly, their mines are located in the state of Queensland, where there are giant mines such as BHP Mitsubishi Alliance or the mine of Carmichaelone of the largest in the world with a production of 60 million tons per year. In recent years, the Australian mining industry has faced criticism due to underground water pollution, the possible contamination of the coral barrier and, in general, due to the environmental impact that these mines have, but the activity remains one of the most important, at the economic and foreign trade level, of Australia. FIFO. And you also pay well. In a mine there are many types of positions and we can say that, depending on the role, the salary It moves between 70,000 and 150,000 Australian dollars a year. If it is a qualified position, that range is limited to between $ 90,000 and $ 150,000. These works for which a lower qualification is required usually follow a model called Fly-in Fly-out Or FIFO, which is nothing more than an attractive name for conditions that involve working about two weeks in a row with 12 -hour day day and then go home to rest … to wait for you to call you again. Temporary or casual, go. Influencers miners. The works that are usually done consist of cleaning of rooms and rooms, in the dining room or in the kitchen of the mining installation. It works, but you also earn a lot of money and it is something that young people from all over the world are making known in networks such as the aforementioned Tiktok, but also on Instagram or on YouTube Shorts. There are many publications under hashtags like #Miningalia either #FIFOAUSTRALIA in which they show their day to day and where money for only a few days of work almost always has a leading role. And they are true Influencersnot so much because of the virality of one two concrete videos, but because of the effect they have on people who want these conditions. Sienna Mallon. It is an example. This young Australian gained popularity, precisely, for giving visibility to her day to day as an employee of a mine. He studied agronomy and has played several roles in coal and gold mines, speaking in his networks about the challenges and benefits of the FIFO model and accumulating in the process about 450,000 followers among Tiktok and Instagram. Effect called. There are hundreds of comments in Mallon’s videos in which you ask how it can be applied to these jobs, something that we can also see easily in ‘Tony’, with Spanish people, but also Latin American asking for information on how to access these jobs. “When I met these videos on Tiktok, I told myself that I had to take the opportunity,” says a 25 -year -old in Lemond. All paid. And those salaries are really attractive. The first thing is that they are so high for both qualified personnel and without training because the mines are They locate in remote places. That is, they have to offer an incentive for people to want to go to those places very, far away from the cities and where you will have to make life during the working hours. But it is also attractive because there are practically no expenses. In the videos of these influencers you can see how they have private rooms with everything you need, free food, entertainment rooms, gym and, obviously, field to walk around, so you can save everything possible or invest in trips to meet the country during the rest week. Asterisk. But before you start looking at how much a ticket to Australia costs, there are other details to know. “The pay is good, but the day is exhausting,” says another young man in Lemonda, and it is something that goes in the line of people like ‘Tony’ who do not hesitate to affirm that they do not want to sell “the motorcycle to anyone: life during those 14 days is shit” focusing on ‘Tony’, on the video of 5,000 dollars every two weeks clarifies that the salary is high because it is a temporary worker. That is, you work two weeks for ten hours a day for 4,898 Australian dollars – about 3,000 euros – and then … it’s over. If you like you, they may call you again, but they may not do it. In another video sample How he was sleeping more than a week … Read more

You just have to look at the coal ashes

Rare earths have been a very controversial issue in recent months, by the disputes of President Donald Trump with Greenland and Ukraine. This necessary element for Our daily electronic deviceseach time your reservations are more scarce and only is concentrated in few countries. However, new research has managed to find them with the naked eye: in the ashes. The study. Scientists from the University of Texas They have found In industrial waste a rare earth source. The point is that researchers have found that coal ashes contain 8,400 million dollars in rare earths. Any type of ash? The researchers have carried out detailed chemical analysis of the ashes, where the rare earth minerals have separated from the burned ashes to quantify them. The study, conducted in the United States, has concluded that the ashes of the Apalaches basin have a higher rare earth concentration (431 milligrams per kilogram), but only 30% is recoverable with current methods. This situation has occurred because many of the minerals are linked to other substances in the ashes, which hinders their separation. On the other hand, they have found that the ashes of the Powder river basin, although they have a lower concentration of rare earths (264 milligrams per kilogram), have a much greater extraction (70%), since the elements of rare earths are more scattered and are easier to separate from the ash. The process. The investigation has concluded that during The burning of coal, minerals separate from their original ore, facilitating their extraction. In this burning process, it has already eliminated some of the impurities, reducing the need for additional refining steps, which in conventional mining are usually expensive and consume a lot of energy. This process is being used by companies such as Element USA, which They are developing methods To make this extraction profitable. More careful. Scientists They have affirmed that this development is more efficient and less harmful to the environment compared to traditional mining. However, there are other methods that do not want to depend on traditions, such as a Spanish study. In it, CSIC researchers They have developed A recycling procedure of electronic devices to recover the rare earths they contain. A global impact. Researchers have affirmed that there are still technical and economic challenges for a large -scale application. However, if this technology will improve the podium to China, who controls more than half of world production. However, the future is very uncertain to Trump’s policies with The tariff system and Your refusal to foster renewable energies. Image | Pxhere Xataka | The rare earth war has arrived in Spain. And it is in Ciudad Real where mining and ecology are confronted

In their search to make the increasingly productive olive trees, these researchers have had an idea: to throw coal

The jungle floor is between reddish or yellowish; He is sterile and ungrateful, blinding and distemper. It is plagued with mineral oxides or empty of calcareous materials. It is and has always been a bad ground. Therefore, when in the middle of the Amazon, the settlers met the ‘Terra Petra‘They couldn’t believe it. It was a black, tremendously fertile land, incredibly resistant to the decomposition of organic matter. For decades, nobody knew where he had been able to leave. A dark enigma for a bright future. Some said that the Andes volcanoes could have come, others suggested that they should be a product of sedimentation of the tertiary lakes. But, When analyzing they realized that they were truffled with ceramic remains, fish swords, jewelry and human objects. The miracle of the ‘Terra Preta’ was the miracle of huge agricultural communities mixing land, vegetable coal, organic material of all kinds and favoring the growth of an own ecosystem within them. Charcoal? Indeed. That same face The researchers stayed. The jungle peoples often use a burning system to create fertile soils. The problem is that they lose fertility quickly. With the ‘Terra Preta’ it does not happen and the secret is in that coal. What in jargon is known as ‘biochar’. And that is really working? That is what The European Soil O-Live project has been askedif the olive trees could treat with a mixture of biochar and compost. The result is what brings us here: what Yes it works. According to researchers at the University of Jaén, coal treatment increases oil production between 7 and 24%. That is, between 0.4 and 1.7 kilos of oil per olive tree. It is true that it is a preliminary investigation, but without a very promising place. And what do we want it for? That is, without this type of “treatments” Spain is already the place of the world where more oil occurs and not for: grows 15% per year. The problem is that the machine cannot stop because demand It grows even more. Where will this race take us, that voracity? That is one of the great questions of the century. Image | KEVIN MARTIN JOSE | Wander Fleur Image | In full climate crisis, a United States startup proposes an millenary technology of the Amazon: Capture CO2 on the ground

For years we had assumed that global consumption of coal was condemned to go down. Until India appeared

Although the entire world is looking towards renewables and there are different projects focused on it, many countries still depend on coal. However, this time the country that slows this progression is not China, but a competitor has come out very geographically: India. The demand for coal. The price fixer in Asia He has marked That coal prices have dropped, around $ 100 per ton due to a temperate winter and an excess world supply, levels not seen since May 2021. However, this fall can be temporary, since investment in new production has decreased while demand Keep increasing In countries like India and China, which would cause a rebound in prices and keep coal as a necessary source globally. But wasn’t it reducing? On the one hand, some countries have managed to reduce or eliminate their dependence on this fossil fuel, such as Spain that He advanced his goal to close the coal or the United Kingdom plants that ended the carbon era After 142 years. For its part, Chile has implemented a tax Carbon pioneer, which accelerated its transition to clean energy. On the other hand, shareholders and banks are They have denied to finance projects related to this fossil fuel. However, the demand continues to grow in India and China, since they cannot meet the demand of their populations only with renewable energy. In data. India is the country that is most using coal. In fact, your demand scope The 1.5 billion tons for five years, which represents an annual increase of approximately 3%. India, with a very high demography, is using coal for the electrification of millions of homes, the expansion of the industry and the need to meet an energy demand in constant growth. However, they are closely followed or they are even almost with China. In spite of all Investment in renewable energy, closed last year With a world demand for coal of 8,770 million tons, that is, consuming 30% more than the rest of the world together. Doesn’t India invest in renewables? In recent years, he has invested in solar energy, establishing objectives such as reach 500 GW By 2030. In addition, has launched several projects to promote the development of renewable energy, such as the “National Solar Energy Program”. However, the infrastructure remains insufficient and the intermission of energy generation continues to bring them problems. The dependence of other countries. Not everything falls to India and China, there are other countries that are depending on coal by The need for continuous energy due to data centers and artificial intelligence. However, we will mention more specific cases. The German case that still has to depend on coal plants due to delays in the construction of new gas plants. For their part, Japan and South Korea continue to depend on coal to guarantee a stable energy offer, especially in winter. Finally the case of the United States than with The new energy policies Return to this fossil fuel. Forecasts The International Energy Agency has observed That world demand for coal will increase. Although prices are now low, this will change for the lack of investment and the continuous increase in demand. While China and India continue to burn coal, the problem will not be so much prices but to disrupt global climatic ambitions. Image | Jepoirrier Xataka | In Europe, 2024 marked a turning point: for the first time solar and wind are eating gas and coal

For the first time, solar and wind are eating gas and coal

Europe has started the year by reaching a milestone: solar energy is the source that grew the fastest in the EU during 2024, surpassing coal for the first time. The meteoric rise. A recent report from Ember has highlighted that, in the last ten years, solar production has tripled, while wind energy has doubled in the same period, but stagnating in the last year. Analysis results have demonstrated That this growth has pushed fossil fuels to their lowest level in 40 years. Decline of coal. In 2019 the Green Dealofficially declaring a “climate emergency.” From that moment on, the European Commission was required to adapt all its proposals to limit global warming to 1.5ºC. At that time, coal was the third largest source of energy along with gas. Currently, it is in sixth place by 10%. In one statement with ReutersReport analyst Chris Rosslowe noted: “Over the last two years we have seen sharp declines in both coal and gas in the EU energy system and fossil fuels are now at a record low.” This marginality that the analyst speaks of lies in the increase in solar and wind generation by the Twenty-Seven, which has helped avoid imports worth 59 billion euros. Furthermore, as stated in its own report, more than half of the member countries do not have coal-based energy or only have a share of less than 5% in their electricity mix. And what about the gas? Although there was a small rebound in electricity demand, gas generation decreased for the fifth consecutive year. In the last five years, total gas consumption in the EU was reduced by 20%, of which a third corresponds to the electricity sector. This change has been driven by the growth of renewable energies, especially solar and wind, which in 2024 prevented gas consumption for electricity generation from being 11% higher. However, it should be noted that gas consumption has been altered by the War in Ukraine. At the beginning of the conflict, Europe’s energy dependence on Russian gas became visible, which led to a response accelerated to diversify energy supply and reduce vulnerability to geopolitical tensions. Stagnation of wind power. The European Union has predicted that in 2030 wind energy will reach 34% of its electrical mix, but as Rosslowe indicated For Reuters, “more actions” are needed to achieve that goal. The analyst’s statements are based on the fact that this last year wind power has only grown by 7 TWh year-on-year, reaching 477 TWh. These data reflect a decrease with respect to the average of 30 TWh of the last five years, but installation rates are expected to increase in the coming years. For more than four years, the costs of wind energy have been have stagnated due to high inflation and supply chain problems derived from the Covid-19 pandemic and the global energy crisis. In addition, the wind sector has been harmed more than the solar sector due to longer delivery times and higher initial investment requirements. However, the report maintains that wind energy will continue to be competitive compared to gas generation, thanks to future measures taken by the EU. The division in the nuclear. Given the rise of data centers, nuclear energy has become the fetish source of large technology companieswho consider it ideal for its uninterrupted use. Specifically, in Europe, nuclear energy continues to recover from 2022 and is generating 24% of electricity. Here arises one of the major divisions of the EUsince there are member countries that are in favor of continuing to invest in this energy, such as Finland, Slovakia, Hungary and France, the latter opening a new nuclear power plant after 25 years. On the other hand, other countries such as Germany, Belgium and Spain are in the process of gradually reducing or eliminating this energy source. In this last group was Italy, which recently has finalized a bill to return to nuclear energy. This situation glimpses one of the challenges that Europe will have to face in the coming years. The problem with the price. Although the report has presented the European Union’s good construction towards the energy transition, they still have to face the increase in electricity prices. Europe has two challenges ahead: the phenomenon known as “dunkelflaute” and an aging power grid. The first refers to periods of low renewable production due to lack of wind and sun. For its part, the limitations in the networks occur due to their longevity. These problems are combined with a growing demand for energy, which further complicates the situation. Spain and Portugal at the head of Europe. Within the Twenty-seven member states, Spain and Portugal have led the energy transition with 82% of electricity generation coming from renewable sources. Of this percentage, the combination of solar and wind energy reached almost 50%. In particular, Spain recorded a continuous increase in photovoltaic generation, reaching 21% of its electricity almost double the European average (11%). Furthermore, the Iberian country is the second country in Europe with the most solar energy generation, only behind Germany. Forecasts. In a statement collected by Carbon BriefChris Rosslowe said that while the EU’s energy transition has moved faster over the past five years, “we should take nothing for granted.” Furthermore, he adds that the goals achieved should generate “confidence” because they demonstrate the “effort and commitment” for a more sustainable energy future for Europe. Image | Unsplash and Unsplash Xataka | We have known for 25 years that we were going to exceed 1.5 degrees of temperature increase and we have not cared

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