Mining, Resources, Conflicts
and
Human Rights
Mining, especially on a large scale, poses profound challenges regarding human rights, natural resources, and socio-environmental conflicts. Here's an overview:
⚒️ Impacts of Mining on Human Rights
- Territorial Dispossession: Indigenous and rural communities are displaced without prior consultation or free and informed consent.
- Labor Violations: Precarious conditions, child labor, and a lack of living wages are reported in many mines.
- Health Impacts: Water and air pollution from toxic substances such as cyanide and mercury causes chronic diseases.
- Social Repression: Environmental activists and defenders face threats, criminalization, and violence.
💧 Natural Resources at Stake
- Water: Mining consumes enormous quantities of water, affecting local communities' access to resources.
- Biodiversity: Fragile ecosystems, such as glaciers and moorlands, are disrupted without adequate impact studies.
- Soil and Air: Land clearing and the use of chemicals profoundly alter the environment.
🔥 Socio-environmental conflicts
- Projects without consultation: The lack of citizen participation generates protests and blockades.
- Enclave economies: Profits are concentrated in transnational corporations, leaving few local benefits.
- Social fragmentation: Communities are divided between those who support and those who resist mining projects.