Concurrence of mining and climate change: environmental implications and mitigation strategies
Anita Punia, Saurabh Kumar Singh
Abstract
Mines degrade and contaminate environment at local or regional level posing risk to human health. However, the consequences of environmental degradation caused by mines on climate change is limited in literature. The review is carried out to understand the interplay of mines and climate change in perspective of its environmental implications. Mining and mineral processing contribute to climate change first, by emitting the greenhouse gases (GHGs) and second, by decreasing the carbon storage due to loss of vegetation cover. The increasing demand for minerals promotes the extraction of low-grade ore in extensive quantity further leading to an increase in fossil fuel consumption and GHGs emission. The decline in vegetation cover is attributed to decline of water resources, conversion of fertile land to wasteland and change in land use pattern. The variation in climatic factors such as temperature, precipitation and melting of glaciers accelerate the environmental degradation. Metal contamination due to tailing dam failure or runoff from waste dumps is expected to increase under the influence of climate change. It is difficult to quantify the role of mines on climate change considering the indirect factors such as loss of vegetation cover, acid mine drainage, quantity of waste generated and decline in water resources. The present study makes an attempt to understand the role of these indirect factors in climate change. Similarly, the contribution of mines in climate change can be reduce by replacing use of non-renewable energy with renewable energy. It would reduce carbon footprint of mines.