Mining causes the greatest pollution and harm because abandoned mines contain toxic chemicals that spread to places like the ocean. The machinery used also adds to pollution because it mostly uses fossil fuels. Mining destroys the environment and habitats of animals and, occasionally, humans. It causes air pollution from the fossil fuels used in machinery, leading to many deaths each year. Water pollution has massive effects on the ocean, making it unhealthy and creating diseases for animals like fish or other seafood that humans eat, which can cause more deaths. In addition, it causes the ocean to lose biodiversity and habitats and disrupts food chains. In addition, mining also affects the ground and forests. Deforestation occurs when trees are cleared for mining. This leads to the loss of biodiversity because many species lose their habitats. The removal of vegetation leads to erosion, which can further degrade the land, making it mostly unusable. The alternatives to mining are as follows:
1: Recycling reduces the need for raw materials, and landfill waste reduces environmental impact. The only problem with this method is that it is limited by the amount of available energy and requires vast amounts of energy to transform it into usable materials like molten metal.
2: Urban mining collects electronic waste, heavily reduces mining demands, and helps to collect waste and keep the earth eco-friendly.
3: Asteroid mining: with access to vast amounts of resources, with the chance of solving our needs without harming the earth, and if we did, we could also make our technology more advanced faster if we find a way to get an asteroid like 16 Psyche, which is about 16 times the moon, which has enough money to turn everyone into a billionaire. However, there are disadvantages, such as high costs, technical difficulties, and legal difficulties.
4: Renewable energy: Oil is a mining industry. We could use kinetic energy sources such as wind, hydropower, and turbines that are pushed by water or air. Solar energy converts light into energy. Geothermal energy uses the heat of the earth to generate energy. In addition, other things like biofuel.
The issue with this is that mining and oil companies do not want to stop mining. Because they would lose profit and money, they would have to find new jobs or do something else. But it would be better for all living things because oil companies turn fossil fuels into oil to make money, and fossil fuels cause pollution. Another issue is that people might recycle or throw away trash when it is not needed. We could have a solution to having machines, and people who want to help could organize them, and there could be companies that support this. To transform trash into reusable materials.
RELATED STORIES:
https://www.iea.org/reports/recycling-of-critical-minerals
https://hir.harvard.edu/economics-of-the-stars/
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/11/urban-mining-circular-economy-ewaste/
https://earth.org/environmental-problems-caused-by-mining/
https://www.nationalgrid.com/stories/energy-explained/what-are-different-types-renewable-energy
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https://www.energy.gov/clean-energy
