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Environmental impact of mining can occur at local, regional, and global scales through direct and indirect mining practices. Mining can cause erosion , sinkholes , loss of biodiversity , or the contamination of soil , groundwater , and surface water by chemicals emitted from mining processes.
Illegal mining can be a subsistence activity, as is the case with artisanal mining, or it can belong to large-scale organized crime, [2] spearheaded by illegal mining syndicates. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] On an international level, approximately 80 percent of small-scale mining operations can be categorized as illegal. [ 5 ]
Illegal mining has short-and long-term detrimental impacts on human health. Exposure to poisonous chemicals can lead to various cancers, mercury poisoning, silica-induced pneumoconiosis, and other respiratory conditions. In addition, stagnant water in abandoned mining pits serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which can be vectors for ...
These conflicts, along with the environmental degradation effects of mining, exacerbate high poverty rates, which approximately 64% of the Congolese population live under. [3] Natural resource extraction and climate change are intertwined in Congo, as mining for copper and cobalt creates a biodiversity loss as green covers are cleared for ...
Strip mining eliminates existing vegetation, destroys the genetic soil profile, displaces or destroys wildlife and habitat, alters current land uses, and to some extent permanently changes the general topography of the area mined. [9] Adverse impacts on geological features of human interest may occur in a coal strip mine.
China's 2021 bitcoin mining ban was partly motivated by its role in illegal coal mining and environmental concerns. [33] [34] In September 2022, the US Office of Science and Technology Policy highlighted the need for increased transparency about electricity usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and e-waste. [35]
Looking down a rubble slope at a jade mine in Kachin State. Myanmar is the largest supplier of jade, [1] providing between 70% [2] and 90% [3] of the world's supply. While Myanmar's official statistics for 2016–2017 put the jade trade value at US$750 million, [4] independent estimates that include illegal mining put it at US$15–31 billion per year.
Tin mining activity on Bangka and Belitung has had significant environmental impact. [22] The Indonesian Forum for Environment (WALHI) reported in 2023 that 240,000 hectares of mangrove forests had been damaged by tin mining activities, along with over 5,000 hectares of coral reefs. [ 17 ]