2011: A Reflection On Possible Change For the Good

2011 has seen the emergence of worldwide protests, demanding their governments' safeguard the environment and protect the water, air and land against the wonton abuse of multinational corporations.
The accumulative effect of generations of uninforced regulations, paltry fines and lobbiest backed legislation have put us on the brink of global catastrophy in maintaining life giving resources for the billions who inhabit the planet.
Governments are heeding these demands by insisting on greater control of their own resources and on the use of less harmful technologies, whether it be for fracking, mining or oil production.
We no longer have the luxury of leaving the problems that effect us as inhabitors of this planet to future generations. We are the generation that was left to decide what happens to what's left of our ability to sustain ourselves.
Whether we talk about global warming, man made or natural, over population, ocean acidification and water cycles, Chemical pollution, land use, etc., we cannot put off solutions any longer.
It's encouraging that global protests have bugun to take effect and may begin to reverse the damage before we all go over the cliff. It's too bad we had to reach the edge before we realized how bad it was.

International Mining Laws: The Planet And It's People Come In Second

It's hard to think of a more blatently harmful set of International Laws than those that force governments to either act against the well being of their people or be fined huge sums in tribunal courts. These often poor countries can be economically devestated by these rulings.
Nafta, Cafta and the WTO are organizations that were formed to ensure the rights of global business interests, but few outside the organizations knew that implications written into the by-laws put the companies' interest over any health concern or environmental interest of the people who inhabit the member countries.
Governments that try to halt projects because environmental studies show certain harm to their environment and to their people can be sued for projected losses by the mining companies.
Contracts that were signed a decade ago and have proven to devestate the water and air because of the use of toxins and careless extraction methods cannot be forced to stop or use better methods of extraction.
Something needs to be changed when a government cannot protect it's people from International Laws that trump the Soverignty of a country, especially when it's trying to protect it's people, water and air.

We Need To Maintain And Strengthen Our Mining Laws-A Personal View

The battle between environmentalists and multi national mining companies in our country continues to heat up with little change in tactics. The EPA is attacked as a job killing agency. Environmentalists are out gunned when trying to finance public awareness to the pollution of our lands, and mining companies open their coffers to politicians who will do their bidding.
We have the strongest mining regulations in the world and when we see what is happening in the rest of the world's mining communities, we should feel proud.
Yet instead of embracing new technologies and cleaner methods of extraction, some would prefer to continue to fight against change and instead try to weaken the standard we have created for miners and our environment for the sake of a few dollars more.
How long will it be before we start to see protests and demonstrations that mimic other parts of the world where extractive policies have devestated their land, water and air to the point of being uninhabitable?
It never seems as serious a problem as it is to the general public until it's too late.
There is a balance between these two agendas that can be achieved where we can mine minerals in a safe way without killing our environment.
It will take a commitment from the citizens who live here to demand their voices be heard over the noise created by mining interest cash flowing into the hands of willing politicians at every level.

Complicated Problem Of How To Deal With Artisanal Mining Pollution

The global population of small scale, artisanal miners(10-15 million) and their production has increased rapidly along with the rise in the price of gold. ,
This activity has become so detrimental to the environment that it's effects far exceed the localities of where they mine.
Pressure is being exerted on those governments to enact legislation that will foster the abatement of the air and water pollution that is spreading exponentially.
This outcry has caused a difficult set of problems inherint with long standing practices of survival for indigenous people and their traditional way of life.
Like most dynamic change to the status quo, a near epidemic must be realized before action is taken, and that action, if not tempered with regard to those affected at the lowest level, will be chaotic.
Governments cannot simply outlaw harmful practices without giving alternatives. And those alternatives must be fed slowly into the mainstream so the daily income of the miners is not cut off. Survival will always trump legislation and if not done right will always foster revolt.
One way to achive this goal is the introduction of technologies that will allow a transition from old to new tecniques that the miners can accept and adopt without loss of income.

A new Dynamic Between Governments' and Multi-National Mining Companies Is At Hand

The dynamic between multi-national mining companies and the governments which control their countries mineral resources is rapidly changing as demand for greater control of how much, and in what way, the resource is extracted. The benefits that are demanded for their country and people is now a main consideration for negotiating contracts.
In countries where the mineral resource is their main source of income, sustainablility is more important than the volume of material that can be extracted each year. It is much better for an economy to extract a steady flow over many years than ripping through their resource with nothing left for the future. This idea is in conflict with mining companies who want to get as much as possible in the least amount of time.
Environmental issues are also at the forefront of negotiations as governments are being pressured by their people to safeguard their air and water supplies in the wake of decades of mindless toxic pollution left behind as the minerals were extracted with no regard for the environmental disasters left behind.