Film shows impact of gold mining in Guatemala

She believes companies choose to mine in the developing world because of the lack of environmental protections. The mining process in San Miguel Itahuacán involves setting off explosives on the mountain to break off chunks of rock, then using a huge amount of water mixed with cyanide to separate out the gold.
“It’s a very, very inexpensive process, but very destructive to the environment. That was already obvious just a year after the project got started, and it’s only gotten worse.”
The villagers have staged protests against the mines in attempt to get the attention of their government, but such actions are increasingly criminalized. There’s still a hope that if people in Canada learn what’s being done by Canadian companies abroad, they will do something about it.
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