How can gold mining have a negative impact on the environment?
In the world now there is more concern for the environment, but there are still mining operations in poor nations where little to no environmental consideration is given to mining operations. Massive holes in the ground are abandoned, and contaminated water seeps into aquifers unchecked. Contemporary mining requires the use of massive amounts of energy in the form of electricity and petrochemical fuels and chemical treatments to mine, extract and process ore to recover the gold. Gold is valuable, and money is being made mining it. But a lot of “secondary pollution” occurs in the process.
