Mining processes are the source of almost every thing used by humans on earth, whether it be a commercial product, industrial product or personal product. Everything from silicon chips that power our computers and smartphones to steel used in building constructions and coal used to generate power comes from mining. Mining is something that will exist as long as there are raw materials that can be obtained from under the earth.
However, the very same mining processes can lend to a disturbance in natural processes, creating environmental impacts and disrupting the flow of nature. Mining will always be disruptive, but the question is how can they be minimized? This question has led to creation of ‘responsible mining solutions’ that look into methods of mining that have the least impact on the surrounding environment. This includes modifying mining processes, decreasing waste generation, lowering risk factors for miners, mining safety improvements and other areas of interest.
While responsible mining sounds quite good, the main issue lies in its implementation and vagueness. There is no global body for miners that forces mining firms, both private and state owned, to comply with responsible mining. This means many mining firms around the world are free to choose whether they want to do responsible mining or not. The vagueness of responsible mining is because there are no defined protocols or standards that dictate what exactly mining firms should do to protect and conserve the environment around the mines. Because there are no exact terms, mining firms are also free to choose what can be considered as ‘responsible mining’ in their own terms, which greatly differs from mine to mine.
One of the major areas of interest is community involvement in mining. Most of the mining is done in material-rich belts of the world, and many major mines are clustered together in the same area. This has given rise to ‘mining towns’ where majority of inhabitants work in mines in some capacity, either as a miner, supervisor, inspector or administrator. These are also termed as mining communities, and as of late, these mining communities are very interested in getting a say on responsible mining decisions. This is because unlike mining firms, these people stay in the area, and any adverse environmental effects will mainly affect only those who live in the area. This has been a hotly contested debate, with many mining companies giving in to community interest and allowing them in discussions of responsible mining.
Another major factor that determines responsible mining is the mine location. Mines located near towns and cities, preferably within visible distance, are more careful regarding responsible mining because they are always in the visible range of public eye. Also, government officials can easily visit such mines, keeping mining companies alert to following critical rules to ensure responsible mining on their own terms. However, for mines that are located in remote areas far from any civilization, are likely to be more relaxing when it comes to enforcing responsible mining. Because they aren’t under constant public scrutiny, they often think they can get away with discarding some rules and focusing more on profits than anything else. Not all remote mines do it, but many do. This can be seen from many mining accidents that went international in the past few years; majority of those mines involved in accidents were located in remote, hard-to-access areas.
Coming back to responsible mining: yes, it is very much possible to implement it internationally by a global body of mining associations, but many factors hinder its smooth implementation, mainly location and the view of local mining communities. Not everyone will be happy with every aspect, but it can get very difficult to force mining firms into accepting responsible mining standards. There are lots of mines worldwide, and many are located in remote locations and mountains. It won’t be possible for the governing bodies to send someone to physically check the place occasionally. Plus, when creating a standard set of rules to be followed by responsible mining, it may not be possible for every mine to follow these rules because not all mines are the same. Some are located deep underground, some high up in hills, some on surface; moreover, the ground levels and soil types also determine what procedures can be followed.
In short, implementing responsible mining globally is still very difficult, and has a long way to go, with the only way for now is if individual mining companies take it upon themselves to implement responsible mining solutions independently.
GS Mining Company 