Sunday, May 29, 2011

BRIC Mining: The Green Cost

The dawn of the 21st century has seen a shift in the world's commercial balance of power, with the dominance of the US, Europe and Japan challenged by the rapid industrialisation of hungry new economies. The rise of the so-called BRIC nations - Brazil, Russia, India and China - is giving birth to new global financial centres, vibrant industrial markets and above all surging demand for raw materials to supply new projects.

This is proving a boon for the international mining market, driving new projects around the world to feed the BRIC boom. Where in the past developing economies tended to rely on foreign investment and international expertise to get domestic mining projects up and running, today these countries are forging their own path, both at home and in gaining access to new mining ventures abroad. Indian and Chinese mining companies have been particularly assertive (some would argue aggressive) in their efforts to unlock raw resources from the likes of Africa and Australia.

But where does environmental responsibility fit into this drive for resources? Although the mining sector in general has been making strides towards achieving a greater level of sustainability, the environmental performance of the new BRIC powerhouses has been called into question. We look at each of these dynamic mining economies and whether their environmental records are as impressive as their balance sheets.

Related: Mining Equipment   Stone Jaw Crusher  Stone Impact crusher

No comments:

Post a Comment