Looking Ahead - Mining and the Environment: From Ore to Metal - page 846

a rapid reduction in government capacity. Again, it is in the interests of all for the industry
to help overcome capacity constraints in government. One effective method is for industry
to second experienced personnel who can transfer knowledge and experience to govern-
ment staff. Even better are exchange arrangements in which government personnel work
in industry while industry personnel work in government.

Public Perception and its Infl uence on Regulation

The visual impact of a large mining project is obvious; however, its benei ts are widely dis-
tributed geographically and economically and are therefore difi cult to discern. As a result
the critical role of the mining industry in the world's economy is often overlooked. Clearly
the industry needs to show that improved mining technologies increasingly being put in
place have not only created a cleaner, safer and more technologically advanced indus-
try than is commonly perceived, but one that is vital to meet not just the needs of today's
industrial world, but also tomorrow's.
Negative public perceptions, however unrealistic, can lead to increased regulation and
supervision of the industry, although the incidence and magnitude of environmentally
damaging events has declined to low levels, much lower than in many other industries.
This suggests that the industry needs to widen its approach to the public, not only to show
the massive contribution mining makes to domestic and international economic health,
but also the degree to which mining practice has evolved in response to environmental
concerns over the last few decades.
Unfortunately, the current heightened concern about climate change is likely to increase
adverse public perception of the mining industry, largely because of the coal industry, a
primary target of environmental activists. As a counter to the massive CO 2 output of coal-
powered electricity generation, some in government and industry have seized on so-called
'clean coal' technology to reduce global warming. This label, which originally applied to
the removal of sulphur from coal, now refers to stratigraphic sequestration of carbon diox-
ide recovered from the emissions of coal combustion. While undoubtedly feasible from a
technical viewpoint, the economics of such an approach are unproven and it is probable
that the same result in terms of carbon dioxide reduction could be achieved much more
economically by other means.
Perhaps the single factor that most helps to maintain negative perceptions of min-
ing is the sheer visibility of many mining operations, many of which are now much
larger than in the past. The remnants of historical mining operations, by contrast, are
small with elements that are generally in scale with the surrounding landscape. It is
apparent that visibility is one of the major factors, perhaps the major factor inl uenc-
ing public perceptions. There are many other examples of visible activities that cause
public outrage although they may cause little or no actual environmental damage, such
as visible steam emissions from chimney stacks, or the appearance of wind genera-
tors in rural landscapes. Furthermore, unlike many other industries, mining's effects
on the landscape will often remain as a permanent legacy of the industry. If the indus-
try is ever to improve its image, it will need to attend to the visual impacts of its major
operations. A radical suggestion as to how this might be achieved is presented in the
next section. It is true that the total area subject to mining will never represent more
than a tiny fraction of the Earth's surface and that the total 'residual footprint' of min-
ing will be much less again. However, that does not diminish the visual impact of close
proximity to large mines.

The critical role of the mining
industry in the world's economy
is often overlooked.

If the industry is ever to improve
its image, it will need to attend
to the visual impacts of its major
operations.