Mining

ISSUES

Mines and quarries

Mankind uses about 32 billion tons of mineral and energy resources every year. There are 5 main categories: building materials, industrial materials, metals, energy minerals and precious substances.
These resources are spread very unequally throughout the world. Some minerals are relatively common, like iron – the most mined mineral in the world. Its production reached 1.6 billion tons in 2006 and is currently increasing by 10 % a year. The three largest producers are, in order, China, Brazil and Australia. Other minerals are rarer, like hafnium, which is used to make filaments and electrodes. The world stocks are estimated at 1 million tons in total (most of this is in South Africa).
Open air or underground mines
There are different types of mines. An open air mine is a huge basin with rows that are dug by layers of rock being successively scraped. A recent technique which causes many problems is called Mountain top...

NEWS

Government Online Mining Database to Increase Transparency

Eight executives detained in China pollution case

Malaysia says to rule soon on rare earths plant

Univers GoodPlanet par Netvibes

DEBATES

Appalachian Regional Restoration Initiative

Don Cheadle

As a newly appointed UNEP Goodwill Ambassador, I am learning the ropes on the how’s and why’s our planet is under threat. The...

A French Cure for the Resource Curse

The campaign to ensure that companies engaged in extractive...

Clarity about Diamonds

Diamonds have an image of purity and light. They are given...

FOCUS

Gold washing in Guyana

Guyana exports more gold than it officially produces. This is why in 2003, only 3 tons of gold produced in Guyana were declared to the Direction régionale de l’industrie, de la recherche et de l’environnement (DRIRE) whereas over 9 tons were declared to customs and...

VIDEOS

24/08/2011	In 2009 Survival released the film "Mine - Story of a Sacred Mountain",...	18/04/2011	Narrated by Susan Sarandon, this video shows firsthand footage of...
08/02/2011	Shot primarily from a helicopter, filmmaker Peter Mettler's 'Petropolis -...	16/11/2010	What will one tribe have to do to save everything they know?UPDATE:...

GREEN TIPS

Quarries Can Encourage Biodiversity

Disused quarries can represent a real opportunity for biodiversity. In France alone, these sites provide a...

INDICATORS

GDP per capita
Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)

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