All That Glitters Is Not Gold: The Issue of Mining Pollution
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While there are various environmental issues that are currently contributing to the pollution of the environment, there is one particular problem that is not discussed as commonly as others; this is the issue of mining pollution. Mining pollution is a rather broad term to the several environmental issues it encompasses, although the name does describe the overall problem. Throughout the years, mining operations both active and inactive cause several kinds of waste to damage nearby environments and homes. The harsh chemicals needed to successfully pull the minerals and crystals from their environments go into the water and land. In addition, the need of modifying the land for its resources often causes harmful greenhouse gas emissions that then affect air quality. While the mining industry is a large portion of the economic success of various places, the negative environmental effects it has are a clear sign that something has to change in order to make it sustainable. (Witchalls, 2022)
When researching this topic, I found various sources explaining how damaging this process is from different perspectives, varying from experts on the topic to those on the business side of these operations. One of the articles I found came from an investment company titled “The Man”. The article has four employees discussing the question: “Can mining ever be ethical?” Through a business lens, they discuss that first and foremost they are aware of the damages that mining causes as in today’s society there is a constant need of minerals such as “copper, nickel, cobalt, aluminium, lithium, etc.” When they are asked if they believe that mining should simply be accepted as “unethical but necessary” the responses vary from one another, but they all seem to agree that as investors, it is the responsibility of the mining companies to manage their processes in a way which can be considered ethical and following the regulations set by the specific country, although investors and consumers can also play somewhat of a role in the sustainability.
Throughout their discussion, the investors also discussed that while an “internationally enforced standard” might be able to help some, since this process varies from country to country, it can also have some backlash, which would depend on whether the country was a “developing country or a developed country”. They mentioned that while France only needed around 2.2% of coal sources, Kosovo, Botswana, Mongolia and South Africa were dependent on coal sources for over 90% of their electric needs. In addition, the investors discussed that there are some companies that are striving towards taking a more environmentally friendly approach to mining, such as Apple. (Man Institute, 2020). Although as many of us are aware, there is a constant mention of how developing countries are often doing poorly without offering a solution on how to help these communities. The investors explained what they believe to be the best approach to this situation. They believe that investors should be helping the communities as a whole rather than simply utilising their resources, which causes great harm to the people. It was suggested that if a company were to invest in some of the mines in that area, they should also be investing in the building of schools and hospitals to make it less of a one sided “trade”.
In addition to the previously mentioned uses of minerals such as technology, one of the most popular uses for mining is the extraction of crystals, such as diamonds, for example. The diamond industry has a long history of being problematic when it comes to ethics, but it has also proven harmful to the environment. While researching the issue of mining pollution, I inevitably found articles debating the sourcing of diamonds as a problematic activity. I decided to look into an article titled, “The Hidden Cost of Jewelry” by The Human Rights Watch. Throughout the paper, both the environmental and ethical concerns are addressed, as well as the rather long standing issues. Firstly, the significance of the diamond and mining industry are discussed. Unfortunately, it is not only diamonds that are so highly sought after, gold among other minerals are also an issue. With such a large need for these supplies, the labour conditions have often proved to be very poor. To avoid spending money, children have been sent into these mines to retrieve the minerals, often killing them in the process due to the harsh conditions.
In addition, the article explains how there have also been issues with the displacement of Indigenous populations, as well as the constant damage to the land that these operations cause. The chemicals leave the water polluted and the soil ruined, therefore hurting the communities that populate these areas. Through the contacting of jewelry companies, The Human Rights Watch was able to assess whether the thirteen companies were responsibly sourcing their minerals. While some results seemed promising, three companies refused to disclose any information and none fell into the “Excellent Sourcing” category. In addition, the article mentions that various companies that considered themselves “responsible” are far too reliant on the certifications already given to the mining process prior to reaching them. The main issue with this is that despite the standards that have arised to help with this, they all fail to be thorough when checking the complete mining process. In order for suppliers to be confident that their materials are ethical and sustainable, they need to track each step of the mining pipeline in detail, inspecting to see if each step meets the criteria. Unfortunately, this would be costly and time consuming. Nonetheless, The Human Rights Watch suggests documented trackability, as well as third party verification as two possible suggestions for this dilemma (Human Rights Watch).
When diving further into the statistics of this issue I was able to find an article on mining in the country of Ghana. This highly populated area in Africa is one of the most common spots for mining operations due to the place’s natural resources, such as gold. While the country in itself is heavily dependent on the mining industry for their economy, the negative impacts that they cause need to be taken into serious consideration before proceeding. According to the article, there are various factors that are necessary for Ghana’s economy. “The rapid growth in Ghana’s economy may be due to the diversified sources that influence its gross domestic product (GDP), including services (48.9%), industries (i.e., mining and quarrying sectors including oil and gas) (30.1%), and agriculture (21.0%)” (Sarpong et al., 2023). In addition, the author explains how thanks to the mining of gold, the economy in Ghana was able to balance itself. “Gold output increased from 2.82 million ounces in 2021 to 3.74 million ounces in 2022, a 32% increment, making Ghana the lead producer in Africa and overall in 10th position on a global scale” (Sarpong et al., 2023) With these statistics, it is clear that the people of Ghana are dependent on these operations economically. However, the constant mining done damages the environment and its abilities to regenerate, negatively impacting the area.
Lastly, one of the articles I was able to find was a series of articles under the publication the “Journal of Cleaner Production”. There was one special issue which I found particularly helpful, which directly discussed the environmental and ethical consequences of mining. Similarly to Ghana, the article discusses statistics on yet another country that has been affected by this in the past. The text explains that throughout the 1990’s to the 2000’s, Chile’s production of copper rose from about 18% to 33%. In addition, throughout this time period Chile seemed to statistically have the largest production of this mineral, having from 25% to 28% of the world’s reserve, placing it in first place for the “International Position in Terms of Reserves.” (Newbold). Once again, while the economic benefits are great, this non-replenishable source has caused several cases of irresponsible mining which largely continues unregulated.
Lastly, there are several parts from the book that I believe can be applicable to this specific environmental issue. Among these are, “Humans Are Separate from Nature”, “Individuals Have a Right to Maximum Economic Gain” and “Progress Equals Growth”. Firstly, the chapter that discusses the belief of humans being separate from nature analyses how often in the Western world there is a belief that due to humans’ believed superiority, they are entitled to what nature has to offer. With the constant colonisation of other countries, it is no longer only a part of society that believes this, but the majority. In any case, mining pollution can be directly tied to this belief, as the resources are taken for granted without any second thoughts as to how this affects the environment, as long as the humans benefit from it. This leads us to the second point of individuals having the right to economic gain. As several resources stated, the main reason as to why the issue of mining pollution persists is due to the economic gain. Diamonds, gold, copper, etc., are all highly valued resources with various uses. A large part of this belief system depends on the idea that what is good for an individual, will eventually be good for the community. While the communities primarily affected by mining are struggling environmentally and ethically, there is ample evidence that their economic success has come from it. On the other hand, this belief more currently places individual gain as a priority. If as an individual you are experiencing clear financial abundance, what would be the incentive to stop?
Thirdly, the idea that progress equals growth is one of the main factors behind mining operations. Throughout the centuries, the mining process has rapidly evolved. With better technology and more studies on these found resources, mining can now be found in practically every part of the world. If the resources are there, and the tools are available, why would the need for sustainability surpass that of progress?
References
Human Rights Watch. (2023, March 28). The Hidden Cost of Jewelry. https://www.hrw.org/report/2018/02/08/hidden-cost-jewelry/human-rights-supply-chains-and-responsibility-jewelry
Newbold, Jane. Journal of cleaner production (Online). (1993). Elsevier Science Ltd.
Man Institute. (2020, February 1). Can Mining Ever Be Ethical?: Man Institute. Man Institute . https://www.man.com/maninstitute/mining-ever-ethical
Sarpong, L., Boadi, N. O., & Akoto, O. (2023). An analysis of the foremost issues with artisanal and small-scale gold mining from Ghana’s perspective. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 195(11), 1383–1383. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-12016-9
Scott, B., Amel, E., Koger, S., & Manning, C. (2016) (4 th ed.). The Psychology for Sustainability. Psychology Press.
Witchalls, S. (2022, October 27). The Environmental Problems Caused by Mining. Earth.Org. https://earth.org/environmental-problems-caused-by-mining/