Constraints and Opportunities in the Mitigation of Adverse Environmental Impacts in Mineral Resources Harnessing—Some Marange Diamond Perspectives

2019 ◽  
pp. 215-240
Author(s):  
Lawrence Matenga ◽  
Takudzwa Lenard Mathende ◽  
Tatenda Goodman Nhapi
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Mineral Resources

The Anthropology of Mining: The Social and Environmental Impacts of Resource Extraction in the Mineral Age

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry K. Jacka
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Foreign Capital ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Resource Extraction ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
Peasant Farmers

This article examines the social and environmental costs of living in the mineral age, wherein contemporary global livelihoods depend almost completely on the extraction of mineral resources. Owing to the logic of extractivism—the rapid and widespread removal of resources for exchange in global capitalist markets—both developed and developing countries are inextricably entangled in pursuing resource extraction as a means of sustaining current lifestyles as well as a key mechanism for promoting socioeconomic development. The past 15 years has seen a massive expansion of mineral resource extraction as many developing countries liberalized their mining sectors, allowing foreign capital and mining companies onto the lands of peasant farmers and indigenous people. This mining expansion has also facilitated the rise of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). Transformations in livelihoods and corporate practices as well as the environmental impacts and social conflicts wrought by mining are the central foci of this article.

scholarly journals Characterization of the bauxite mining of the Poços de Caldas alkaline massif and its socio-environmental impacts

2012 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalmo Arantes de Barros ◽  
João Carlos Costa Guimarães ◽  
José Aldo Alves Pereira ◽  
Luis Antônio Coimbra Borges ◽  
Rossi Allan Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Mining Sector ◽  
Bauxite Mining ◽  
Intensive Use ◽  
Poços De Caldas ◽  
Alkaline Massif ◽  
Social And Environmental Impacts ◽  
Satisfactory Manner

The intensive use of mineral resources brings along significant changes to the environment. The mining sector is essential for world economics, as long as it is operated on a basis that is technically coherent, socially fair and environmentally correct. This study aimed to characterize the bauxite mining of the Poços de Caldas plateau, MG, investigating its respective socio-environmental impacts. Through the overview presented, one can conclude that in most situations, the bauxite miningat the Poços de Caldas plateau mitigates its negative social and environmental impacts in a satisfactory manner in addition to generating positive social impacts; and the restoration methods of the mining-disturbed ecosystems have been continually improved and should be replicated by small-and-medium-sized companies.

A numerical calculation method of environmental impacts for the deep sea mining industry – a review

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 454-468
Author(s):  
Wenbin Ma ◽  
Cees van Rhee ◽  
Dingena Schott
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Calculation ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Calculation Method ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Gradual Decrease ◽  
The World ◽  
Numerical Calculation Method

Since the gradual decrease of mineral resources on-land, deep sea mining (DSM) is becoming an urgent and important emerging activity in the world.

scholarly journals Dynamic relationship between embodied and operational impacts of buildings

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 70-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saheed O. Ajayi ◽  
Lukumon O. Oyedele ◽  
Jamiu A. Dauda
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dynamic Relationship

Purpose Buildings and their construction activities consume a significant proportion of mineral resources excavated from nature and contribute a large percentage of CO2 in the atmosphere. As a way of improving the sustainability of building construction and operation, various sustainable design appraisal standards have been developed across nations. Albeit criticism of the appraisal standards, evidence shows that increasing sustainability of the built environment has been engendered by such appraisal tools as Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), Code for Sustainable Homes (CfSH), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficacy, among others. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of the appraisal standards in engendering whole lifecycle environmental sustainability of the built environment. Design/methodology/approach In order to evaluate the adequacy of sustainability scores assigned to various lifecycle stages of buildings in the appraisal standards, four case studies of a block of classroom were modelled. Using Revit as a modelling platform, stage by stage lifecycle environmental impacts of the building were simulated through Green Building Studio and ATHENA Impact estimator. The resulting environmental impacts were then compared against the assessment score associated with each stage of building lifecycle in BREAAM and CfSH. Findings Results show that albeit the consensus that the appraisal standards engender sustainability practices in the AEC industry, total scores assigned to impacts at each stage of building lifecycle is disproportionate to the simulated whole-life environmental impacts associated with the stages in some instances. Originality/value As the study reveals both strengths and weaknesses in the existing sustainability appraisal standards, measures through which they can be tailored to resource efficiency and lifecycle environmental sustainability of the built environment are suggested.

scholarly journals Life-Cycle Assessment of Sector-Coupled National Energy Systems: Environmental Impacts of Electricity, Heat, and Transportation in Germany Till 2050

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nils Baumgärtner ◽  
Sarah Deutz ◽  
Christiane Reinert ◽  
Niklas Nolzen ◽  
Lucas Elias Kuepper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Freshwater Ecotoxicity ◽  
Full Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Models ◽  
High Emission

National energy models provide decarbonization strategies. Most national energy models focus on costs and greenhouse gas emissions only. However, this focus carries the risk that burdens shift to other environmental impacts. Energy models have therefore been extended by life-cycle assessment (LCA). Furthermore, deep decarbonization is only possible by targeting all high-emission sectors. Thus, we present a holistic national energy model that includes high-emission sectors and LCA. The model provides detailed environmental impacts for electricity, heat, and transport processes in Germany for meeting the climate targets up to 2050. Our results show that renewable energies and storage are key technologies for decarbonized energy systems. Furthermore, sector coupling is crucial and doubles electricity demand. Our LCA shows that environmental impacts shift from operation to infrastructure highlighting the importance of an impact assessment over the full life cycle. Decarbonization leads to many environmental cobenefits; however, it also increases freshwater ecotoxicity and depletion of metal and mineral resources. Thus, holistic planning of decarbonization strategies should also consider other environmental impacts.

scholarly journals Environmental Impacts of Mining of Mineral Resources

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimír Lapčík ◽  
Andrea Kaločajová ◽  
Petr Novák
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Resource ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Underground Mining ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
State Enterprise ◽  
Legal Norms ◽  
A Company

The article focuses on mining of non-energy mineral resources with minimum environmental impacts. It issues from research results of a project Competence Centre for Effective and Ecological Mining of Mineral Resources implemented at the Faculty of Mining and Geology at VŠB-Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Geological Survey, a company Watrad ltd., a state enterprise Diamo, a company RPS Ostrava plc and a company Sedlecký kaolin plc. The paper starts with a partial analysis of the existing legal norms related to mining and processing of mineral resources. Next, it analyses mineral resource mining options free of negative environmental impacts. The fundamental tool to assess potential environmental impacts of mining is the implementation of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for a given mineral resource. In the Czech Republic environmental impact assessment is carried out by course of Act 100/2001 Coll. Its important amendment is Act 39/2015 Coll. claiming, inter alia, that the environmental impact assessment is rigidly connected with other permits and procedures, such as the zoning process and building construction permits. The article describes the environmental impacts of mining of non-energy mineral resources, including the following factors: appropriation of land, impacts on surface water, ground water and soil, noise, influence on the landscape character, and air pollution. The paper also includes a case study summarizing information on the environmental factors that may play a role in potential underground mining of graphite in the deposit Český Krumlov - Městský Vrch and the deposit Lazec - Křenov.

scholarly journals Environmental Impacts Related to Closed Mines in Inner Mongolia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 13473
Author(s):  
Honglei Liu ◽  
Qiang Wu ◽  
Jianxin Chen ◽  
Mingjun Wang ◽  
Di Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Inner Mongolia ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Land Resources ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Mining Areas ◽  
Social And Economic Development ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Positive Impacts

Mining activities, while promoting social and economic development, alter the environments and ecosystems of mining areas. Some of the alterations have negative impacts on the environment, while some have positive impacts. By understanding the positive and negative impacts related to closed mines in Inner Mongolia, this research aims to seek advantages of the positive impacts on the environment and reduce the harm of the negative impacts, extending the mining value chain. The paper reviewed four main negative environmental impacts (NEIs) of closed mines and proposed four positive environmental impacts (PEIs) which include ecosystem services, cultural services, land resources and underground space resources, and energy sources and mineral resources. The paper focused on the environmental problems and the PEI utilization of closed mines in Inner Mongolia with 20 representative cases. It carefully studied the Minda Mine which is a good example to combine several PEI utilization objectives. Multiple PEI objectives, as well as the correlations among different objectives, can benefit closed mines ecologically, economically, and socially. In addition, a three-step framework for closed mine revitalization and the factors affecting the compound PEI objectives are mentioned in the paper.

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