Mining and the Environment Particulars

As most of us are aware, mining is one of the mostforget that the manufacture, use, and disposal of
environment unfriendly industries. Mining can seriouslyelectronic devices can incalculably harm the
affect land, air and even water systems. The greatestenvironment. The manufacture of electronics involves
challenge confronting the mining industry today is tomining- often strip mining- which can adversely affect
find ways of extracting and processing mineral andthe environment as also a number of caustic
metal with minimum damage to our ecosystem. Thechemicals that are used to make circuit boards and
adverse environmental impacts of mining operationother electronic components. Added to this, the
starts with mineral exploration, continues throughout thebatteries that supply back-up power that most of our
extraction and subsequent processing and at timeselectronic gadgets run on are decidedly poisonous. Let
persist even after the entire operations are over.us also not forget that the disposal of electronics can
Mining can cause serious land degradation, large scalecreate health hazards because of all of the heavy
denudation of forest cover, weakening of biodiversity,metals that they contain. The one solution to
pollution of air, water and soil. The fall out can extendovercome environmental impacts of electronics is
well beyond the mining area and lead to many social,recycling of old electronics to the extent possible.
economic and political disturbances. To mitigate theRecycling almost eliminates the need for mining that
adverse impacts of mining and restore the miningotherwise has to be done to acquire the raw materials
affected areas, it is imperative to conduct properneeded to manufacture new electronics. Recycling
research and find ways and means to protect therequires less energy than processing the materials that
environment.go into electronics from their raw form.
We had hitherto paid scant attention to the protectionYet another environmental hazard, more serious than
of the environment. Therefore the question ofelectronics, is coal mining. Coal companies keep
environmental protection has today become criticallyopening up a mountain like removing the top off an
important. The mining industry is seriously attempting toegg. Coal dust settles like pollen over the surrounding
develop effective technologies and new processingareas. Coal mining creates several billion gallons of coal
methods to ensure that the modern mining activities ofslurry, which contains extremely high levels of mercury,
exploration, planning, operation, and restoration arecadmium, and nickel. Although lauded by mining
conducted in an environmentally responsible andcompanies that this is a safer, more efficient way to
sustainable manner. It is earnestly pursuing researchproduce coal, this type of strip mining has evoked
activities oriented toward the safe and responsible usestrong protests from environmentalists and people
of our mineral resources.who reside near coal mining areas. Coal mining work
If we take a look at the mining companies, there arecan be extremely dangerous, as the numerous
several ways in which they can take steps tooccupational hazards can cause critical injuries or even
safeguard the environment. Mining companies woulddeath. If you have been injured in a coal mining
have to re-examine their own mining operations. Theiraccident, you have legal rights to claim for damages.
impact on mining the land, the fuel that they use inThere are other environmental concerns arising out of
running the mining equipment, and how they will restoremetal mining operations such as physical disturbances
the land once they have exhausted the minesto the landscape, waste rock disposal, development of
resources.metal-bearing and acidic soils and waters and not the
Despite our passion for electronic goods, let us notleast public safety.