A 2009 study published in PLOS One concluded that the global warming potential of mining and processing nickel was the eighth highest of 63 metals over the previous year.
The mining and processing of nickel has one of the biggest effects on global warming out of 63 metals.
Damage to water sources that residents attribute to mining, as well as increased demand due to population migration to mining sites, reduces communities’ access to water for drinking, washing and cooking. Women, who are primarily responsible for fetching water, are forced to walk longer distances or wait for long periods to obtain water from alternative sources. The dust produced by bauxite mining and transport smothers fields and enters homes, leaving families and health workers worried that reduced air quality threatens their health and environment.
Mining is contaminating our water sources and water is one of the most important things for survival.
In 2002, Molycorp had a problem with its waste disposal at Mountain Pass, when a pipeline leading out to evaporation ponds in the desert burst, spilling radioactive and toxic waste onto the desert floor (Danelski, 2009). The resulting uncovering of past spills, coupled with economic factors, caused the shutdown of Mountain Pass and a complete reworking of their environmental practices. However, the damage was done and the area and surrounding water sources are affected, perhaps permanently.
We need to find a way to prevent pipeline spills because they happen way too frequently and they are horrible for the environment.
What would our lives be like without mining?
This paragraph talks about some of the things we talked about in class.