Mining Operations Bring Heavy Burdens for Local Communities

With economic downturns and recessions happening on a global scale, more governments are looking for ways to make quick money.  When minerals or other natural resources are discovered in the land of a developing country, a mining company finds easy opportunity to move in and make a big profit. Large mining operations can yield tons of profitable minerals or metals and provide employment for thousands of workers, allowing governments to see it as a viable option for economic growth.

Unfortunately, there is little regard for the environmental, social, and health costs that will have to be borne by local communities during and long after mining activities.

Mining operations often cause:

Gold Mining Site in Ghana

• Erosion of the land which is most often irreversible, causing problems for farming, with flooding, and with siltation (the settling of soil in other areas)
• Deforestation
• Huge pits and potholes which are abandoned once the gold is gone
• Acid mine drainage (toxic water drained from the mining operation)
• Cyanide contamination
• Mercury poisoning
• An influx of male outsiders to stable communities which can then lead to increases in sexual assault and HIV/AIDS
• Limitations in farming and loss of productive land
• Destruction of local heritage and traditional ways of life

Defending human health, social welfare, and local environments from the ills of mining

Across the globe, there are hundreds of organizations taking on mining-related problems within their communities and at national and international levels. Global Greengrants Fund is channeling small grants to many of these groups, including:

Land Degradation Caused by Mining in Ghana

• Programme for Social Action in India is studying environmental movements around mining in 14 Indian districts to determine how they can be strengthened.
• Bontefufuo Development Committee in Ghana is working with community members to articulate their rights and demands. They will engage with Keegan Resources, a a well-financed junior gold company that recently took over a nearby mining concession.
• Articulação Atingidos pela Vale in Brazil is giving out information on the effects of the company Vale’s mining operations, comparing the actual impacts against the company’s claims.

Mining operations take place the world over, and many countries find themselves vulnerable to large mining projects being built in their backyards.  While world economies remain on the decline, mining is likely to become more prevalent, leading to more issues for developing countries.  To find out more about how small grants from Global Greengrants Fund support activism around mining, check our recent case study.

If you want to support work around mining issues and be a part of environmental activism happening right now, please make a donation today >>