The Issue
Mining is a major economic activity of various countries in the world. It is the mainstay of developing Asian, African and Latin American economies, with its value making up over 20 percent of GDP in each of more than 20 countries. However, certain mining techniques can have severe consequences the mining site itself along with its surrounding areas.
Underground mining produces toxic chemicals, and the waste material can escape into the environment if not properly disposed of. This can lead to air pollution, water pollution, soil erosion and noise pollution. Mining can be hyper energy- exhaustive. Mining consumes gigantic amounts of energy. The energy consumption of the world’s mining industry corresponds to 80 percent of the world's electricity use- which is about the total energy consumption of Australia, Mexico, South Korea, Italy and Canada. The energy used in mining does not come from wind or solar power. It comes from burning fossil fuels.
How can we reduce the impacts?
If mining companies can plan on having better mining disposal systems, we can prevent air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution and soil erosion. By reducing waste, this can be easier to achieve. Using cleaner production techniques such as using waste as raw material can help save clean water, reducing the energy consumption and using more sustainable forms of energy, treating the land after mining can help neutralize the impacts of mining i to some extent.
Reducing these impacts might not eliminate the problem entirely, but it surely will relieve the environment to some extent.
Arhana R
The Carbon Newsprint
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