What’s in a Mine?
When I think mining, traditionally I think digging for ores such as diamonds, gold, silver, etc. I also think of other metals and minerals such as nickel, cobalt, aluminum, asbestos, potash, etc. I also know that a lot of mines become abandoned, leaving ghost towns, loss of employment and ecological and health dangers.
I guess what I really don’t know a lot about is our current mining processes and how they are impacting our natural resources, native communities, economy, ecosystems and our health. I know that mining is based on supply and demand but who really invests in metals, I thought. It is not just about that though I never realized how many mined minerals are used in everyday items such as:
- Batteries nickel, cadmium, lithium, cobalt
- Circuitry gold, copper, aluminum, steel, lithium, titanium, silver, cobalt, tin, lead, zinc
- Computer/TV screens silicon, boron, lead, barium, strontium, phosphorus, indium
- Cosmetics and jewellery iron oxide, kaolin, zinc, titanium, dioxide, gold, diamonds, copper
- Electricity coal, uranium
- Eyeglasses limestone, feldspar, soda ash
- Leather clothing borax, chromium, zirconium, aluminum, titanium oxide
- Musical instruments copper, silver, steel, nickel, brass, cobalt, copper, iron, aluminum
- Sports equipment graphite, aluminum, titanium, calcium carbonate, sulphur
- Sun protection zinc oxide
- Steel nickel, iron ore, zinc for rust-proofing
- Vehicles and tires steel, copper, zinc, barium, graphite, sulphur, bromine, iodine
- Wind, solar, hybrids nickel, aluminum, lithium, gallium, indium, germanium
It is also a huge economic influence on our GDP, exports, and employs over 300,000 people in Canada. Canada is the top destination for mining exploration, 16% of the world's spending in this sector.
It is also up to the industry itself and other agencies to regulate mining, the government seems to be very limited in regulating and investing in this sector.
Is one resource worth destroying another?
There appears to be a gray area when we mix mining and fisheries together. Why? Both are natural resources, technically freshwater is a resource too, and the wetlands and forests surrounding it. Is extracting one resource worth destroying the rest? Economically I am sure it made a lot of sense at first with metals being in such a high price and demand. However, now that we know how the impacts of traditional mining practices effect the environment shouldn’t we learn from our prior mistakes? Tailing ponds are the effluent of mines but where can we dump this effluent, too many natural rivers and lakes have been treated as waste sites. I think that society needs to be made more aware of this. How many people actually understand what mining does to the environment? The government needs to be less lenient on the mining industry and more concerned with how mining is impacting our environment. Mining needs to be regulated in order to decrease dumping sites. Dumping into lakes and rivers causes harmful alteration and degradation to fish habitat, which in turn impacts water quality, and our freshwater supply. Mines should have to have permits the same as any other industry or construction that is impacting fish habitat and the water around the area. I understand that mining is our way to extract our natural minerals, but we are not doing it naturally there are so many machines and chemicals involved. We need to invest and research in safer sustainable mining processes in order to maintain our mining industry, minerals, and other natural resources.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2008/06/16/condemned-lakes.html
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