The WA radioactive capsule was discovered within two weeks. But in 1980, when a mine worker was discovered to have stolen 2,200 kilograms of uranium oxide, it had been missing for 3 years.
Should the capsule not be found immediately, we can’t just write it off as lost. A long term system of monitoring is needed to protect humans and the environment.
Mining nodules from the deep ocean seabed could provide the metals crucial for today’s EV batteries and renewable energy technology, but little is known about the harm it could cause.
Locals from Asunción Mita, Guatemala recently voted against the development of mining activities in their municipality, in a referendum contested by a Canadian mining company that owns a gold mine.
Our prospects of a better, fairer future are inextricably linked with the minerals and metals beneath our feet. Is it time to make peace with the industry that extracts them?
Canada is connected to the Democratic Republic of Congo through the global economy, international peacekeeping efforts and migration. We must not ignore violence because it’s far away.
Artisanal gold mining is highly organised and rule-bound. Men, women and even children participate a hierarchy sustained by a web of buyers, sponsors and customers.
For centuries, Pacific Islands have been raided by mining interests with little to show for it. Harnessing their enormous green mineral wealth must be done justly.