Still Only One Earth: Lessons from 50 years of UN sustainable development policy
Mining companies reap huge benefits extracting valuable minerals, but often at a cost to surrounding communities and the environment. Regulating these activities mainly depends on national frameworks and policies, but implementing good practices remains problematic. To truly shift to “sustainable mining,” governments and companies must recognize the social impacts of mining, and enact laws and regulations that require community consultation throughout the life of a mine. (Download PDF) (See all the Still Only One Earth policy briefs)
Suzi Malan on October 18, 2021
As a child, Kongolo Mashimango Reagen spent many days carrying 25-kilo sacks of cobalt from small mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His long days started at 5:00 am. Accidents were common. Tunnels dug by hand into the bright red earth often collapsed. He saw many children like himself die in the mines. His uncle sold the cobalt—a critical metal for electric car batteries—to local traders, and Kongolo received free food and board as his payment (Sanderson, 2019).
For more than a decade, informal mines in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo have enabled the global digital revolution. The world’s largest mining companies rub shoulders with miners who dig copper and cobalt by hand with little or no safety precautions (Sanderson, 2019). Small-scale mining is a double-edged sword for these local communities, providing employment but negatively affecting human health and the environment. Large-scale mining also affects communities both positively and negatively, albeit through different dynamics and obligations. The international community has not had much success in regulating mining activities, which remain largely under the purview of national governments.
Yet many countries with rich mineral deposits do not have the capacity to govern mines effectively, with political elites often syphoning off the proceeds.