Topic: The Environmental Impact of Mining
Country: China
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All China position papers GLIMUN 2017 committees
The practice of mining materials can go back farther than 40,000 years. Making it one of the oldest human industrial enterprises. The problems with mining are great in number and varying in harmfulness. The most glaring problem with mining is how efficient a practice it is. In fact, every 42 seconds of gold mining, enough waste is produced to equal the weight of the Eiffel Tower. Mining also presents other glaring problems such as chemical contamination, alteration of landscape and environment, and pollution. There is such great difficulty in finding a solution because depending on the type of mining, and the material being mined, the side effects very greatly. One thing all mines do have in common however, is the obvious inefficiency. Mining has been and will continue to be a process used by many as a form of economic gain. But with areas being left uninhabitable, water being polluted, and air being harmed, things certainly cannot continue how they are now.
In 2016 the top 6 Chinese mining companies reported nearly 80 billion dollars in revenue, providing a huge boost to the Chinese economy. 12 of the 40 largest mining companies on earth are in China, who is also the world's leading exporter of several precious mined metals including coal, silver, aluminum, copper, gold, cobalt. In addition, China also supplies the world with 40% of its minerals and 47% of its coal output. Mining is distinctly crucial to the nation. It recognizes the harmful side effects associated with mining and has declared a war on polluters. The mining sector has been absolutely crucial to economic boom in recent decades; however, China has failed to consider the environmental impact of mining practices. Poor regulation of practices has lead to contamination of soil, water, and air in the country. It’s become clear that the consequences of mining can no longer be overlooked, such was the reason the Chinese government has declared war on pollution. Several preventive measures such as restricting number of mining licenses, forcing miners to treat at least 85% of wastewater, minimizing amount of emissions, and remediating contaminated soil have all been put into place to try to lessen the environmental impact. These measures are certainly not enough though, for real change to occur, more measures and restrictions must be made and installed.
When it comes to mining, there isn’t a single encompassing solution, rather many solutions each to solve a different problem. China would like to see a new global organization or coalition created to allow for a collaborative effort on this issue. Some possible solutions to mining issues are: finding and closing illegal mines, investing in new research on how to make mines greener, building and using the reusable waste products, and improving the overall efficiency of the mining process. The only way to effect real change with this issue is to have a collaborative effort from nations around the world. If a true solution is to be found, we must do it together.
