It’s no secret that Brazil profits greatly off of its mining industry, harvesting minerals from the earth such as gold and iron ore, a main component in steel. However, the waste produced due to this large amount of mining has largely been swept under the rug so to speak. Brazil alone holds over 800 mining sites, each of which have their own “tailing pond” – large volumes of sludge and grime that are created due to the poor mining practices within the country. This analysis will dive into why this is a problem, and what solutions can be reached to alleviate the stress it put on the environment.
First off, the waste created from Brazilian mines aren’t stored where they would naturally run off. Instead, they create artificial dams to hold bacl the sludge to a designated area. While this is good for bodies of water within the area, it also imposes several other risks. Mining companies aren’t willing to invest in concrete and steel dams, and have somehow decided that packing the waste together to form a wall that holds itself back is the best solution. This solution doesn’t make sense, solely because the packed waste isn’t as strong as a dam built of concrete and steel (otherwise the company would find ways to market its own waste). Therefore, the packed sludge only has so long before it will collapse. The destruction of one of these dams is the sole reason why the public has uncovered this issue. Rightly so, they have begun questioning the practices of these companies, wondering when the next dam will collapse.
The peoples questioning, or even petitioning against the mining companies for that matter, will not work. Brazil is the largest producer and exporter of iron ore, which other countries buy in order to make steel. Therefore, these mining corporations are essentially immune to loss of business due to high demand, no matter what they do. Therefore, the only way this issue can be solved is by presenting a cost effective way to the companies to deal with the sludge and/or reduce waste created through their practices. As of now, there isn’t any solution to get rid of the created sludge except wait. The earth will be able to recycle the substances, but it will take several decades before it shows any sign of remission. Also, the creation of more waste as we speak will be detrimental to this process. The only solution to this is to convince mining companies to adopt practices that cut out the waste: something that is difficult to solve, let alone prove to be economically efficient to the corporations. I feel that mining companies will fall back on their immunity and importance in the global market, and do next to nothing in order to repair environmental damages that they have created.