A Review of Conventions, Protocols, and Agreements: Importance of Sustainable Mining in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (original) (raw)

Enhancing the contribution of mining to sustainable development

Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 2005

This paper reviews recent developments aimed at improving the mining sector’s contribution to sustainable development. Mineral endowments are regarded by many development and environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as a ‘curse’ and counterproductive to long-term growth and poverty reduction goals, even antithetical to sustainable development in developing countries. This paper argues that, in spite of some empirical evidence in some countries, this is not an inevitable general rule and that the mining sector offers numerous possibilities for catalysing sustainable development and attainment of the millennium development goals. This is, however, conditional upon adequate governance and social and environmental safeguards being in place. The heterogeneity of the mining sector is considered and concern is expressed for the undermanagement of the growing, albeit not new, phenomenon of artisanal and small-scale mining in developing countries. Without better management of thi...

Mining under the Sustainable Development Framework

2019

Up until the late 1990s, the mining industry as a whole has been scrutinised for being unsuitable. In response to heavy criticism, nowadays several mining companies has adopted sustainable development principles, namely the ICMM sustainable development Framework. The adoption of this framework led to mining companies adapting their sustainability strategies and initiatives to best fit the framework. This also suggest that mining companies can help trigger local economic development. This thesis examines how a mining company has used the principles under the framework in their initiatives to contribute to sustainable economic development. The research undergoes a single case study analysis focusing on Gold Fields. This work, by using the local economic development theory confirms that mining plays and contributes in an important way to local economies. The main argument this thesis bring is that mining companies can indeed help to contribute to local economic growth, however their po...

Mining industry and sustainable development: time for change

Food and Energy Security

Mining industries provide most of the materials we rely on to build infrastructures and instruments of daily use, to obtain large amounts of energy, and to supply agriculture with fertilizers that enable most of foods produced. At the same time, mining is the human activity that has been more disturbing to environment and is linked to large social impacts and inequalities. Notwithstanding, our future is deeply depending on mining. Several mining sectors, from phosphate to uranium, are reviewed and their current impacts and challenges are discussed. The mining legacy and environmental remediation, the present mining and challenges, and the future mining and society are discussed in relationship with environmental health and sustainable development. It is concluded that current mining practices need to change and contribute to community development with more equity, and to protect better natural resources and ecosystems in order to be environmentally acceptable and compliant with sustainable development objectives.

THE GLOBAL MINING INDUSTRY: Between Guidelines, Initiatives and Implementation

2017

Over the last couple of decades, the mining industry has seen heightened awareness and interest of the world in the catastrophic effects of indiscriminate and ill-advised extraction of the earth's resources. Hence, the international community has become more and more resolute about mitigating the hazards of mining. Also, the subject of mining encompasses a complex and vast range of inter-related issues. Among the stakeholders are the national and multinational corporates, NGOs, multilateral agencies, health, labour, and environmental activists, governments and the United Nations. Over time, a strong need has been felt to formulate the rules and regulations for the functioning of an industry, which makes huge profits, but at a great cost to the biosphere. Several global organisations have issued guidelines and have taken initiatives in this direction.

The case for global cooperation concerning the sustainable management of mining and minerals

N Yakovleva and E Nickless (eds), Handbook of Extractive Industries and Sustainable Development, Routledge Environment and Sustainability Handbooks, pp. 191-207, 2022

This chapter examines the case for furthering global cooperation on mining and minerals beyond the prevailing focus of the international development community on institutional quality at national and sub-national levels. It draws clusters of problems concerning mining and minerals which exceed the realm of national solutions and call for global collective action to achieve their sustainable management. It reviews existing organisations and policy approaches to promoting sustainable development at an international level, as well as some initiatives reflecting a turn to multi-level, holistic, integrated and multistakeholder frameworks.

MINING AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: MEASURING PROGRESS

Mining has potentially large negative impacts on the biophysical environment and on the communities where mines operate. When mines are run efficiently, with effective environmental management programmes and in partnership with the affected communities, the wealth created may more than offset the cost associated with negative impacts. In such cases, the mining operations may be regarded as contributing to sustainable development (SD) through weak sustainability 1 . A critical variable in determining the net contribution of mining companies to SD is the degree of transparency with which the companies operate. In environments with high degrees of transparency, wealth creation and positive socio-environmental impacts are maximised. This paper assesses published reports of companies and their performance in contributing to SD by comparing changes in key SD indicators over time.

Implementation of sustainable development principles in mineral and coal mining policy

Linguistics and Culture Review, 2021

The concept of sustainable development is one of the principles where development is carried out not only to meet the needs of current generations but also future generations. The most strategic natural resource management activities in Indonesia, namely mining, are not only intended for the benefit of current generations but also for generations to come. The enactment of Mineral and Coal Mining Act Number 4 of 2009 accommodates mining activities. However, the fact that exploration and exploitation activities carried out cause problems to the environment, namely the emergence of environmental pollution and destruction. This can certainly cause losses not only for the present but also to have an impact on the future. In its implementation also found the fact that there is still a lack of understanding of the importance of sustainable management of mineral resources in addition to weak law enforcement.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF MINING MINERAL RESOURCES

This paper describes mineral resources and the demand for them, taking into account the dynamics and global trends in the economy of raw materials. It presents the importance of mineral resources in the development of the world economy, and the importance of mineral resources that are critical for economic development. The main assumptions presented in this paper are the main assumptions that relate to the sustainable development of the mining sector, the ones that will significantly shape the development of mining in the future.