Minerals, Wealth and Progress - Mining and the Environment: From Ore to Metal - page 2

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Minerals, Wealth
and Progress

Without the products of mining there would be no civilization as we know it,
so a world without mining is unlikely, at least for the foreseeable future. There
is, however, a paradox (Mining, Minerals, and Sustainable Development - MMSD
- 2002): whereas we enjoy the end products of mining, from simple tools and
jewellery to advanced space craft, we are less fond of the 'holes in the ground'
needed for their supply. A disconnect between source and product is even
reflected in the structure of the metals industry, with some manufacturing
companies keen to deny their connection to mining on the basis that large
amounts of their raw materials come from secondary sources.

The history of mining is replete with controversy, but in recent decades there has been
increasing pressure to improve the environmental performance of mining operations, fol-
lowing from greater awareness of global environmental issues. Although Rachel Carson's
1962 ground breaking text, 'The Silent Spring', focused on pesticide damage, it brought
attention for the i rst time to the worldwide scale of environmental degradation associated
with the development of an industrial civilization. This introductory chapter will examine
the many facets of the relationship between mining and the environment which follow
from the demands of that civilization.
The history of mining and the minerals cycle, of which mining is just one part, reveal the
complex linkages between mining and society. Mining operations function within the for-
mal and informal institutional frameworks of the country which hosts the mining project,
and therefore inevitably acquire a political dimension, as well as strong links to its econ-
omy, ecosystem, and local communities; while these latter almost inevitably come to depend
on minerals production for employment, income, and broader development. Unfortunately
the perceived divergence between mining based development and environmental conserva-
tion, usually focused around the mine site and associated communities, often becomes the
subject of controversy in which mining companies find themselves at the centre.
Addressing recent history, the chapter touches on the origin and growth of global
awareness of environmental issues, and how this has affected regulatory approaches to
environmental protection including the now nearly universal environmental impact assess-
ment (EIA) process for new industrial developments. It has become widely recognized

Unfortunately the perceived
divergence between mining
based development and
environmental conservation
often becomes the subject of
controversy.