The Impacts of Gold Mining
Tags: Mining, Gold, Stock Market, Invest, Stocks

Sponsored Post:

Mining activities, including prospecting, exploration, construction, operation, maintenance, expansion, abandonment, decommissioning, and repurposing of a mine could impact social and environmental systems in a range of positive and negative, and direct and indirect ways. Mine exploration, construction, operation, and maintenance might result in land-use change and might have associated negative impacts on environments, including deforestation, erosion, contamination, and alteration of soil profiles, contamination of local streams and wetlands, and an enhancement in noise level, dust and emissions. Mine abandonment, decommissioning, and repurposing might also result in similar significant environmental impacts, such as soil and water contamination. Beyond the mines themselves, infrastructure built to support mining activities, such as roads, ports, railway tracks, and power lines, could affect migratory routes of animals and heightened habitat fragmentation.

Mining could also have positive and negative impacts on humans and societies. Negative impacts include those on human health and living standards, for example. Mining is also known to affect traditional practices of Indigenous peoples living in nearby communities, and conflicts in land use are also often present, as are other social impacts including those related to public health and human wellbeing. In terms of positive impacts, mining is often a source of local employment and might contribute to local and regional economies. Remediation of the potential environmental impacts, for example through water treatment and ecological restoration, could have positive net effects on environmental systems. Mine abandonment, decommissioning, and repurposing could also have both positive and negative social impacts. Examples of negative impacts include reduction of jobs and local identities, while positive impacts could include possibilities for new economic activities, e.g. in the repurposing of mines to become tourist attractions. (1) Visit here! As these other industries might also have some prominent impacts on the community as they explore new places for their gold mining.

The World Gold Council’s Members operate in many of the world’s lowest-earning countries, which often lack developed health care services, and face the enormous task of dealing with poor nutrition and communicable diseases, including HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. As well as the human cost of these epidemics, there is also a considerable economic one. Responsible mining industries see shared value in helping host countries to tackle public health challenges and improve the quality of life for their employees and host communities through corporate social responsibility programs and occupational health initiatives.

In much of the developing world, a lack of access to power, clean water, and transport infrastructure is a significant barrier to economic development. Gold mining often takes place in remote areas where there is little existing infrastructure, so sectors venture heavily in building power supplies, piped water, and roads, which could create important benefits for local communities. Infrastructure, from roads to power stations, is part of the legacy that responsible miners leave beyond the life of their mines and is a major component of their beneficial impact on developing and middle-earning economies. (2) Lay eyes on these other industries as they might be capable of exploration and acquisition of gold! Get additional info here.

Responsible gold mining industries acknowledge that they could have a wider impact on the societies they operate in, beyond the jobs and ventures that they bring to communities. Community development programs are designed to meet local needs and priorities and include ventures in sectors including education, entrepreneurship, and healthcare. Other industries often work with community-based organizations or non-government organizations to plan and implement these programs. Do you believe gold to be a safe refuge as well? More information is available here! Check the disclaimer on my profile and landing page.

Source 1: https://environmentalevidencejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13750-019-0152-8

Source 2: https://www.gold.org/about-gold/gold-supply/gold-development