Effects-Resource Extraction

Constructing soils for climate-smart mining

by Francisco Ruiz, José Lucas Safanelli, Fabio Perlatti, Maurício Roberto Cherubin, José A. M. Demattê, Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri, Xosé Luis Otero, Cornelia Rumpel & Tiago Osório Ferreira 19/06/2023 Communications Earth & Enviroment

Surface mining is inherently linked to climate change, but more precise monitoring of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is necessary. Here we combined the geolocation of mine sites and carbon stock datasets to show that if all legal active mining sites in Brazil are exploited over the next decades, 2.55 Gt of CO2 equivalent (CO2eq) will be emitted due to the loss of vegetation (0.87 Gt CO2eq) and soil (1.68 Gt CO2eq). To offset these emissions, we propose constructing soils (Technosols) from mine and other wastes for mine reclamation. We show that this strategy could potentially offset up to 60% (1.00 Gt CO2eq) of soil-related CO2 emissions. When constructed with suitable parent materials, Technosols can also restore important soil-related ecosystem services while improving waste management. The construction of healthy Technosols stands out as a promising nature-based solution towards carbon-neutral mining and should, therefore, be considered in future environmental policies of major mining countries.

For The Navajo Nation, Uranium Mining's Deadly Legacy Lingers

by Laurel Morales 10/4/16 npr

The federal government is cleaning up a long legacy of uranium mining within the Navajo Nation — some 27,000 square miles spread across Utah, New Mexico and Arizona that is home to more than 250,000 people.

Strip Mining Worsened the Severity of Deadly Kentucky Floods, Say Former Mining Regulators. They Are Calling for an Investigation

by James Bruggers 7/8/22 Inside Climate News

In past flooding, hydrologists have calculated runoff 1,000 times greater than without mining. Scientists say climate change will intensify heavy rains.

Deep-Sea Mining—Bonanza or Boondoggle?

by Brooke Jarvis 25/6/13 PBS

This is the world of deep sea hydrothermal vents, geothermally active fissures that are often miles beneath the ocean’s surface. It’s also, improbably, the next frontier of the mining industry—the future home of what some are calling a new gold rush.