Environmental issues with mining

Mining has shaped much of the world today and remains a vital part of history. Without mining, many technologies would either be in scarce supply or not exist at all. With mining, humans have been able to collect a plethora of minerals and substances that still have many uses today. Despite the great things that mining has done for humankind, there are many people that see mining as a danger to the environment and the economy. Waste products and other pollutants caused or created from mining can

Mountaintop mining has been practiced in the United States since the 1960s, primarily in the Appalachian Mountains. The process involves removing all tress from the site, then the topsoil, and then using explosives to remove the remaining soil and rock to reveal coal. The coal is removed and processed, and then the mountaintop is “reclaimed” with soil or an appropriate substitute, and sometimes replanted.6 While mountaintop mining in the Appalachians is only a small percentage of coal produced by

In Ghana, for example, Illegal mining is more prevalent and has been a major contributor to these primary crimes especially for the widespread destruction of arable land. The country is rich in gold and in turn shows the foundations of environmental crime as being the cause of ‘greed and ignorance’ (Grabosky 2003:237). In according to Ghana National Commission for UNESCO statistics (2013, cited in Dwumor and Arko, 2013) the mining industry offers employment opportunities, estimating that it employs

This paper reviews the environmental issues and management practices in the mining sector in the North America. The sustainable measures on waste management is recognized as one of the most serious environmental concerns in the mining industry. For mining activities, it will be no surprise that the metal recovery reagents and acid effluents are a threat to the ecosystem as well as hazards to human health. In addition, poor air quality and ventilation in underground mines can lead to occupational

Coal mining can have seriously adverse environmental and related impacts, including interference with groundwater quantity and quality, land subsidence, impacts on river flows and consequential impact on other land-uses, issues associated with mining wastes disposal, creation of geological hazards . . . and potential ecological havoc” (Bian et al., “The Impact of Disposal and Treatment of Coal Mining Wastes on Environment and Farmland” 1). Coal, a commodity that the world depends on as a vital economic

André Duílio Cruz 1264710 Introduction to Environmental Planning ENVP106-15A Environmental Planning Programme FASS Word Count: 1925 University of Waikato Field Trip Report Waihi, Newmont Gold Mine, New Zealand 1. Introduction Mining is an important activity, as it extracts the source of most objects, tools and items that are used in many ways in society. There are drawbacks, however, as it brings environmental and social impacts, like pollution of the waterways, change in

as a concern is in the mining industry. The mining industry is an industry that is economically stable and the industry consists of various forms such as coal mining. The industry is of high demand and encompasses needs

A., Mayes, R., & Pforr, C. (2013). The mining boom and Western Australia’s changing landscape: Towards sustainability or business as usual?. Rural Society, 22(2), 111-124. doi: 10.5172/rsj.2013.22.2.111 This publication processes the challenges of the Western Australian Mining Industry. The journal will focus on the economical benefits of the mining boom that occurred in the Western Australian mines, as well as, the effect it has on society and environmental challenges. The text continues to explore

Topic: An Analysis of the Environmental Non-Sustainability of the American Coal Industry Title of Book: Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America 's Energy Future Author: James Goodell Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006. James Goodell is a long-time contributing columnist for Rolling Stone Magazine and the New York Times Magazine. Goodell’s main contributions are writing about environmental issues, such as industrial pollution, and the problem of long-term environmental sustainability. Goodell

Throughout environmental policy, there will always be some issue that needs resolving otherwise environmental policy would be obsolete. However, in some cases, environmental policy is worse than obsolete. It is purposefully made to not be effective when environmental justice involves corporations and politicians to whom the environmental consequences of their own actions mean nothing. This is certainly the case within the video, “The Last Mountain”, where both an environment and a community surrounded