Mining industry and sustainable development: time for change
dadosky
Posts: 3
in Agriculture
Abstract
Mining industries provide most of the materials we rely on to build infrastructures and instruments of daily use, to obtain large amounts of energy, and to supply agriculture with fertilizers that enable most of foods produced. At the same time, mining is the human activity that has been more disturbing to environment and is linked to large social impacts and inequalities. Notwithstanding, our future is deeply depending on mining. Several mining sectors, from phosphate to uranium, are reviewed and their current impacts and challenges are discussed. The mining legacy and environmental remediation, the present mining and challenges, and the future mining and society are discussed in relationship with environmental health and sustainable development. It is concluded that current mining practices need to change and contribute to community development with more equity, and to protect better natural resources and ecosystems in order to be environmentally acceptable and compliant with sustainable development objectives.
Introduction
Mining industries provide many of the raw materials for equipment we use daily, from aluminum cans up to electronic chips of cell phones and computers. To arrive here, metal mining steadily increased over the centuries, with occasional “rushes” for several minerals (silver, gold, radium, etc.) which occurred in connection with booms in demand. The common mining practice until very recently could be summarized in a few steps: from obtaining a license, dig the ore, sell the metal, and, once the deposit was exhausted, walk‐away and start another mine elsewhere (Jain et al. 2016; EB 2017). Not surprisingly, mining is among the human activities with widest environmental and social impacts.
Herein, several mining sectors are revisited to highlight mining procedures, their effects, and current challenges. Mining for base metals (e.g. Al, Fe, Mn, and Ni) and energy fuels (oil, gas, coal, and uranium) requires large investments, and it is capital intensive, being carried out mostly by major corporate companies. However, precious metals (e.g. Au, Ag, and Ta) in many regions are often targeted by artisanal mining also. All have deep environmental impacts. The legacy of radium and uranium mines in Europe is used to illustrate old mining practices, their environmental and social impacts, and remediation costs. New mining projects are expected today to incorporate lessons from past mining activities and meet societal and development needs in a more efficient and less damaging way to the environment.
This article summarizes how important have been past mining activities and how important can be in the future, at least for some types of mining, and discusses the effects of mining, the trends in mining impacts on environment and society, and how they shall avoid compromising sustainable development.
Mining industry and legacy impacts
Mining activities are not new and indeed may have started in Neolithic (Chalcolithic) times to obtain the first metals for tool fabrication (Reardon 2011). In the Classic Greece and in the Roman Empire, many mines were exploited for production of iron, lead, copper, gold, and other metals. Many of those old mines are still known, and some have been operated over several centuries or were rediscovered (Fernandez‐Lozano et al. 2015). With time, mining have expanded and increasing amounts of fossil fuels (e.g. coal) and metals (e.g. iron) were extracted in quantities generally commensurate with man power available and thus with human population over the centuries. With technological developments, especially with explosives and machinery, mining could expand further on the 19th century and sky rocketed during the 20th century (EB, 2017). In the last quarter of the 20th century, new and harsh environments, such as ice‐covered regions and the deep sea floor, started to be mined for oil, natural gas, and metals. This trend will continue and new frontiers might be trespassed soon.
The comparative importance of mining and contribution to the world Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during the last century shows an increase by a factor of 27 in ores and minerals production, and by a factor of 8 in total materials extraction, while GDP raised 23‐fold (Fig. 1). A clear first role of mining in the global average economic growth is highlighted in this assessment (UNEP, 2011).
Mining industries provide most of the materials we rely on to build infrastructures and instruments of daily use, to obtain large amounts of energy, and to supply agriculture with fertilizers that enable most of foods produced. At the same time, mining is the human activity that has been more disturbing to environment and is linked to large social impacts and inequalities. Notwithstanding, our future is deeply depending on mining. Several mining sectors, from phosphate to uranium, are reviewed and their current impacts and challenges are discussed. The mining legacy and environmental remediation, the present mining and challenges, and the future mining and society are discussed in relationship with environmental health and sustainable development. It is concluded that current mining practices need to change and contribute to community development with more equity, and to protect better natural resources and ecosystems in order to be environmentally acceptable and compliant with sustainable development objectives.
Introduction
Mining industries provide many of the raw materials for equipment we use daily, from aluminum cans up to electronic chips of cell phones and computers. To arrive here, metal mining steadily increased over the centuries, with occasional “rushes” for several minerals (silver, gold, radium, etc.) which occurred in connection with booms in demand. The common mining practice until very recently could be summarized in a few steps: from obtaining a license, dig the ore, sell the metal, and, once the deposit was exhausted, walk‐away and start another mine elsewhere (Jain et al. 2016; EB 2017). Not surprisingly, mining is among the human activities with widest environmental and social impacts.
Herein, several mining sectors are revisited to highlight mining procedures, their effects, and current challenges. Mining for base metals (e.g. Al, Fe, Mn, and Ni) and energy fuels (oil, gas, coal, and uranium) requires large investments, and it is capital intensive, being carried out mostly by major corporate companies. However, precious metals (e.g. Au, Ag, and Ta) in many regions are often targeted by artisanal mining also. All have deep environmental impacts. The legacy of radium and uranium mines in Europe is used to illustrate old mining practices, their environmental and social impacts, and remediation costs. New mining projects are expected today to incorporate lessons from past mining activities and meet societal and development needs in a more efficient and less damaging way to the environment.
This article summarizes how important have been past mining activities and how important can be in the future, at least for some types of mining, and discusses the effects of mining, the trends in mining impacts on environment and society, and how they shall avoid compromising sustainable development.
Mining industry and legacy impacts
Mining activities are not new and indeed may have started in Neolithic (Chalcolithic) times to obtain the first metals for tool fabrication (Reardon 2011). In the Classic Greece and in the Roman Empire, many mines were exploited for production of iron, lead, copper, gold, and other metals. Many of those old mines are still known, and some have been operated over several centuries or were rediscovered (Fernandez‐Lozano et al. 2015). With time, mining have expanded and increasing amounts of fossil fuels (e.g. coal) and metals (e.g. iron) were extracted in quantities generally commensurate with man power available and thus with human population over the centuries. With technological developments, especially with explosives and machinery, mining could expand further on the 19th century and sky rocketed during the 20th century (EB, 2017). In the last quarter of the 20th century, new and harsh environments, such as ice‐covered regions and the deep sea floor, started to be mined for oil, natural gas, and metals. This trend will continue and new frontiers might be trespassed soon.
The comparative importance of mining and contribution to the world Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during the last century shows an increase by a factor of 27 in ores and minerals production, and by a factor of 8 in total materials extraction, while GDP raised 23‐fold (Fig. 1). A clear first role of mining in the global average economic growth is highlighted in this assessment (UNEP, 2011).
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