Surge in global metal mining threatens vulnerable ecosystems

Luckeneder, Sebastian; Giljum, Stefan; Schaffartzik, Anke; Maus, Victor; Tost, Michael

doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102303

Cited by 100 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 41 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…On the other hand, mining is also one of the most environmentally and socially dangerous human activities. Several studies have documented the harmful consequences for the environment and the link to social conflicts [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] . This involves especially the Global South, where most mining activities take place, but where governments often fail to enforce environmental regulations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hotspots of Mining-Related Biodiversity Loss in Global Supply Chains and the Potential for Reduction through Renewable Electricity

Cabernard¹,

Pfister²

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The expected growth in infrastructure and energy transition may exacerbate biodiversity loss by the rising demand for mining products. Many mining products are extracted in the Global South and exported to the global North for further processing and final consumption, where a link to the devastating environmental effects is often missing. Based on an enhanced multi-regional input-output database, this study assesses global biodiversity loss associated with land use of mining (mining-related) to identify hotspots, key processing industries, and final consumers of mining products. Our study reveals that half of global mining-related biodiversity loss occur in Indonesia, Australia, and New Caledonia. Major international trade flows of embodied biodiversity loss involve Indonesia’s coal exports to China and India, New Caledonia’s nickel exports to Japan and Australia, and Australia’s iron and aluminum exports to China. Key consumers include China’s growing infrastructure and households in the EU and USA. Electricity generation accounted for 10% of global mining-related biodiversity loss in 2014. The impact of coal-fired electricity is far higher compared to renewables, both overall and per electricity generated. Our results underline synergies in fostering renewables while reducing global biodiversity loss, and provide transparency for industry and policy to source more sustainable mining products.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hotspots of Mining-Related Biodiversity Loss in Global Supply Chains and the Potential for Reduction through Renewable Electricity

Cabernard¹,

Pfister²

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Mining and mineral processing come with enormous challenges of managing potentially devastating environmental impacts such as atmospheric emissions, soil contamination, land disturbance, biodiversity loss and water pollution (Azcue, 1999;Jain et al, 2016). Areas with highest extraction growth rates per year are as well primarily located in low and middle-income countries of the Global South where mining intensification hotspots enhance water scarcity and/or threaten species-rich biomes and vulnerable ecosystems (Luckeneder et al, 2021). As average ore grades of industrial mining production are declining over time (Mudd, 2007;Calvo et al, 2016), the proportion of waste rock per unit of commodity produced is steadily increasing, and with it the challenge of managing and disposing the billions of tons of mine waste generated each year around the globe (Jones and Boger, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community-Based Monitoring Detects Sources and Risks of Mining-Related Water Pollution in Zimbabwe

Ruppen

Chituri

Meck

et al. 2021

Front. Environ. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although mining and mineral processing are vital for many economies in the Global South, they are associated with enormous challenges of managing potentially devastating environmental impacts. In contexts where environmental oversight agencies often lack financial and personal capacities to fulfill their role, community-based monitoring might be a valid alternative to monitor potential environmental impacts. In this study, we present the setup and the implementation of a citizen science project to monitor water quality parameters in a river downstream of a coal mining area in Hwange, Western Zimbabwe. In a joint effort over 1.5 years, community monitors and scientists took close to 800 water samples in the Deka River and effluent channels. The data allowed identifying sources of pollution and relating these to past and present mining activities. The primary source of acid mine drainage came from abandoned underground mine sites. Illegal mine water dumping from active mine sites accentuated the problem and resulted in fish kills and food risks for the local population. Concentrations of manganese, nickel and arsenic were exceeding national fresh water guidelines and international drinking water standards. Manganese concentrations exceeded guidelines by a factor of 70 resulting in a public health risk. In this study, we showed that community-based monitoring offers a promising approach to establish a high-quality dataset for assessing mining-related risks if the implementation of sampling protocols is followed tightly. The monitoring scheme significantly improves the collection and interpretation of water quality data in challenging contexts where governmental institutions and industrial players are not enforcing environmental standards.

show abstract

“…Mining is a global concern due to its impacts on vulnerable ecosystems and ultimately on human health (Luckeneder et al, 2021). Mining operations inevitably cause socio-economic consequences and produce several detrimental disturbances that commonly affect the surrounding environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Air quality in post-mining towns: tracking potentially toxic elements using tree leaves

Monaci

Ancora

Paoli

et al. 2022

Environ Geochem Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this study, leaves of the evergreen holm oak Quercus ilex were used to assess airborne contamination of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) at five towns located on the slopes of the Mt. Amiata (central Italy), an area with a long history of mining and, more recently, an important district for the industrial exploitation of geothermal energy. PTE composition and covariance of washed and unwashed Q. ilex leaves of three different ages (6, 12 and 24 month-old) were used to identify atmospheric inputs of PTEs at residential areas, evaluate long-term adsorption and retention of PTEs by the leaves, thus providing an indication of potential human exposure. Moreover, the determination of foliar concentrations of major elements (C, N, S and P) allowed an assessment of the nutritional status of the investigated urban tree stands which excluded the existence of stress condition caused by air pollution or other disturbances. Results indicated that overall Pb, Cu, and Cd concentration were low in the investigated urban sites, if compared with similar studies conducted in larger Italian cities, denoting a low contribution of vehicular traffic to the atmospheric pathway. The five urban settlements were characterized by a specific profile of elements (Al, Ba, Hg and Sb) enriched in unwashed leaves, resulting from the distinct geochemical characteristics of the area and from diffuse (i.e., urban activity) and point sources of PTEs emission (i.e., brownfields, geothermal power plants). The latter sources primarily govern the distribution of Hg, whose contamination was found to be very localized close to a major abandoned mining area. Our data provided quantitative evidence of the spectrum of PTEs potentially impacting resident population and may prove useful in support of follow-up instrumental monitoring campaigns of air quality, as well as for human health and ecological risk assessments. Graphical abstract

show abstract

Surge in global metal mining threatens vulnerable ecosystems

Cited by 100 publications

References 41 publications

Hotspots of Mining-Related Biodiversity Loss in Global Supply Chains and the Potential for Reduction through Renewable Electricity

Hotspots of Mining-Related Biodiversity Loss in Global Supply Chains and the Potential for Reduction through Renewable Electricity

Community-Based Monitoring Detects Sources and Risks of Mining-Related Water Pollution in Zimbabwe

Air quality in post-mining towns: tracking potentially toxic elements using tree leaves

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About