Humans have been mining for thousands of years. I think my first understanding of mining goes back to watching the first Disney film, “Snow White”. From this, I learned about the gems and diamonds that singing dwarves extracted from the earth, but beyond diamonds, what else do actual humans mine?
In looking into this, It’s clear that pulling minerals and “rare-earth minerals” from deep below the surface of the earth has some rough effects on the environment. But what impact does mining have on poverty? How do these minerals affect the level of poverty in the places they are mined?
Here is the “down and dirty” on ten minerals (ok–fine, and elements and even rocks) mined around the world.
1. Coal
Coal is mined all over for use as fuel for cooking, and large production to make steel and generate electricity. Coal is essentially a combination of minerals so technically it’s a rock. Globally, the biggest producers are China, US, India, and Australia. And only 15 percent of coal mined is traded internationally (meaning these producing countries are also who is using that coal). While coal can be mined on the surface, most of the world’s coal is mined from underground sources. Either way it causes long lasting scars on the earth. Plus acid mine drainage is incredibly harmful to the environment.
Looking at its use by the world's poor, coal for cooking is dangerous and unsustainable. Relying on coal as an energy source can create cycles of poverty because of its expense. Instead, I'd suggest trying cow poop.
2. Limestone
Limestone is mined for use in cement, and mortor for building material and also as a soil conditioner to neutralize acidic soil. It’s also used to make products like toothpaste and paint whiter in color. It’s mined globally but especially in Kenya, Australia, and the US. It’s formed from mostly calcium carbonate from old seawater. So it’s found in places that used to be below sea level.
Mining limestone can affect groundwater quality. This is incredibly important because clean groundwater is a precious resource for communities all over the world. 783 million people do not have access to clean water and protecting groundwater is key to getting clean water for all.
3. Sulfur
Have you ever been to a hot springs and enjoyed the lovely smell of rotten eggs while you relax in the natural hot tub? Well, that smell is not eggs. It’s sulfur. Sulfur is mined primarily in volcanic regions like Indonesia, Chile and Japan. When sulfur reacts with moisture in the air it creates sulfuric acid, making mining sulfur one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.
Sulfur is used in gunpowder, matches, and fireworks among other products.
The working conditions for mining sulfur are extremely poor. Sulfur miners often live in extreme poverty and take on serious health risks such as damage to eyes, lungs, and risk their lives every day. Knowing how risky this job is, benefits and safer conditions for miners should be implemented. Protective clothing and goggles should be provided along with higher wages to end the poverty these workers live in.
For more imagery of sulfur mines, check out "Samsara", a documentary that gives a picture of the large scale production around the world that millions of people work in every day.
4. Gems
Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, there is a long list of precious gems that appear in jewelry dating back thousands of years. These gems have been the source of conflict for just as long too. Many of these gems are found in developing countries, such as rubies are found in Thailand, Burma, India, Afghanistan. Some of the largest diamond mines are in Russia, Angola, and Australia.
Gems like rubies and diamonds are mined for a variety of uses ranging from jewelry (rubies) to the tip of a drill (diamonds). Essentially, gems form when a combination of pressure, heat, and elements combine in the right setting and form together. For example, diamonds are a result of pressure and heat condensing carbon.
Because gems are such a precious and scarce resource, conflict often occurs in areas with precious gems. Maybe you’ve heard of blood diamonds? Or cases where civil wars in African countries are funded by exploiting workers and smuggling gems? There are many human rights violations that occur because of the power and money involved with precious gems.
5. "Rare earth elements" (Europium and Neodymium)
Personally, I think these elements sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. But Europium and Neodymium are just a few elements that exist in a product that 6 billion people have access to. Cellphones. More people have access to cellphones than toilets today.
Europium is an element that is responsible for making screens bright. Neodymium is one of several other elements that is used to make speakers work in cellphones, stereos, computers, and other loud noisy products. These “rare earth elements” are not as rare as they might seem and are found globally. But because of lengthy production process and environmental impacts (That result in cost incurring regulations) “rare earth elements” are only mined in a few places. China has the largest mine for these elements.
Europium is mildly toxic but the main issue with making cellphones, computers and electronics is the extensive production, labor issues, and environmental impact that occurs during the twelve plus step process of mining “rare earth elements.”
6. Zinc
I take zinc capsules every time I start to feel a cold coming on. My doctor has told me it’s been shown as the most effective thing prevent you from getting sick. But where does this element come from?
Zinc is often mined in along with other elements such as silver, and and lead. The largest producers of zinc are Peru, China, and Australia. 80 percent of Zinc is mined underground. This means that conditions for mining can be dangerous. Miners face threats of being trapped and careful monitoring is important to keep workers safe.
Safe mining is especially important because Zinc is an essential mineral for human health. 2 billion people have Zinc deficiency which can cause diarrhea, affect growth in children and other diseases.
7. 3TG (Tantalum, Tungsten, Tin, and Gold)
3TG is made up of tungsten, tin, tantalum and gold and is considered a conflict mineral. 3TG is heavily mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo and proceeds are funding a deadly civil war there. So what’s 3TG even used in? It’s found in many products but one you might not know of is video games.
My colleague Hans Glick wrote an article exploring the use of 3TG in video games and found that there is “a troubling link between video games and 3TG” where funds actually support civil wars. But on the bright side, there are laws in place to create clearer transparency on companies that use conflict minerals. Let’s ask for better transparency on conflict minerals and end corruption and civil wars in countries with conflict minerals.
8. Silver
From jewelry to modern day technology and medical products, you can find over 101 uses for silver. While silver has always come in second place to other elements such as gold, it is still a major resource mined around the world. Highest concentrates of silver are in Bolivia, Poland, Peru and Mexico.
Bolivian miners live in extreme poverty. Potosi is a mountain town in Bolivia that has the world’s largest silver reserve. Here, workers in silver mines face early death and horrible working conditions. Tourism brings in small benefits for these miners. As a tourist in Bolivia you can take a tour of the mines, and it is custom to bring miners gifts of alcohol (of insanely high percentage) or soda to drink during long and treacherous workdays.
9. Clay
Clay is just found in lakes and rivers right? Actually, mining clay is quite a large scale production. Clay is mined in open pits, and used in beauty products, ceramics, and a certain type called Kaolin is even used to in rubber manufacturing. The US has large deposits of Kaolin in West Virgina, and South Carolina.
Clay pits can be filled with water and turned back into quarries for recreational use or water reserves. So mining clay is on the less harmful side environmentally speaking. The downside is that since clay is used in such a wide range of products, processing is a complex procedure that involves bleaching, and even acid treatment.
10. Uranium
Uranium is mined for use to power nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. 64 percent of the world’s Uranium is mined in Australia, Canada, and Kazakhstan. The most common methods for mining Uranium is open pit, where a large site is excavated by blasting and drilling into the earth. This leaves a large hole in the earth that is often used as a landfill after the desired resource has been removed from the pit.
Uranium is a toxic metal and also radioactive. Workers mining Uranium spend time in protective cabins to limit radiation exposure. However, there are high health risks associated with mining this element due to the radiation. Also, the mining methods used, make using that land very difficult post-extraction.
A major issue with mining is that these are precious resources exist often in poor countries, and are cheapest to extract there due to cheap labor and low regulations. Companies own the rights to mines and often exploit resources leaving “a big hole” in economies, and the environment. Good governance is necessary to have before poor countries sell land to developers in order to avoid “blood diamonds” and other conflict minerals or environmental exploitation. Good governance, fair working wages and conditions, and enforced environmental laws would be a start in cleaning up the mess of mines around the world.