Extractive industries refer to the harvesting of raw materials and subsequent processing activities of oil, gas and mining companies, i.e. large-scale hydroelectric dams, gas/oil extraction and coal/mineral mines. Due to the depletion of non-renewable resources and negative environmental impacts (habitat destruction, soil/water contamination, air pollution, and biodiversity loss), sustainable mining may well be considered a paradox. The irreversible degradation to the land and water directly impacts local communities (often indigenous or less developed) while the benefits generally accrue to the affluent and developed world.

Specifically, acid mine drainage is refuse water from coal and other hard rock mining operations that is highly acidic and full of dissolved metals. The ground and surface water pollution causes by these toxic heavy metals and acidic hydrogen is extremely difficult to cleanup. In gold mining, mercury is often used to separate gold from other sediments and metals. Mercury, a persistent toxin found in nearby rivers and streams, makes its way up the food chain eventually to the fish humans and other animals depend on.

OIL SANDS OF CANADA

(photos courtesy of the Pembina Institute)

Oil Sands Watch
http://www.oilsandswatch.org/
Quenching the U.S. Thirst for Oil
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003034191_oilsands02.html
Measuring the Environmental Cost
http://borealbirds.org/news_pages/news_detail.php?a_id=62
Boreal Forest/Native Peoples Threatened
http://www.culturechange.org/issue10/oil-sands-alberta.htm
Oil Reserves Second to Saudi Arabia
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/22/MNG46CMUPL60.DTL
Alberta’s Boreal Forest
http://www.ameteam.ca/About%20Flame/borealforest2.html

PASCUA LAMA GOLD MINE

Chiles Approves Andes Gold Project
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5080678.stm
A Threat to Sustainability
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33501
Water More Precious than Gold
http://www.waterconserve.org/alerts/send.asp?id=chile_gold_water
A Proposed Gold Mine in Chile and Argentina has Emails Flying
http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2006/06/21/hearn/index.html
Barrick Gold Faces Determined Opposition
http://www.miningwatch.ca/index.php?/257/Barrick_opposition
Pascua Lama Background
http://www.miningwatch.ca/index.php?/104/Pascua_Lama_Background