Doom For Mining Boom
The Age
Saturday December 8, 2007
A Monash University environmental engineer warns in a new report that mineral resources are limited, excavation costs are escalating and the environmental costs of mining are devastating. The Sustainability of Mining in Australia: Key Trends and Their Environmental Implications for the Future is written by Monash University researcher and lecturer Dr Gavin Mudd, in conjunction with the independent Mineral Policy Institute.
Dr Mudd says the statistics are a serious cause for concern: "On average, 27 tonnes of greenhouse emissions are created to mine a tonne of uranium. That's equivalent to the annual emissions of nine family cars. "There is often talk about sustainable mining but our latest body of research shows that minerals are being mined at an alarming rate, mining companies have to work harder to source it, and as a result the environmental costs of the process and clean-up are rising exponentially."
© 2007 The Age
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