Theprocessofminingfororesandoilhasbuiltourcountryaswellasothers,offering

importantminerals,andresourcestohelpusandotherstogrowoureconomys,butmining
companiesaroundtheworldlikeFreeportMcMoRan,RioTintos,NewmontSunitorno,OK
TediMining,andCliffsMiningcompany,BPandotheroilcompaniesarecausingextreme
amountsofdamagetotheenvironmentandwaterwaysbydumpingtoxicmaterialsinto
oceans,riversandlakes.Miningwasteisusuallyamixthatincludedarsenic,lead,mercury
petroleumbyproducts,acids,andcyanide.Manydamsthatholdtoxicminewasteoftenfail
andbreak,causingcontaminatedwateroftenknownasacidminedrainage,atoxicmixof
chemicalsextremelyharmfultoaquaticlife.Duetothisecosystemsaregettingdestroyedand
Ithinkthatweallhaveabasicunderstandingofwhathappenswhenwebreakthefoodchain,
pollutetheenvironment,andwhathappenswhenbiodiversityistakenfromanecosystem,
devastation.Sowhyareweallowingriskyandirresponsiblemininganddrillingtotakeplace
whenitsharmingusandourenvironment?

CertainProcessesthatareusedtocollectgoldsuchasHeapLeachingisparticularly
devastating.HeapLeachinginvolvesusingacyanidemixtureanddrippingitontopilesofore
tocollectgold,itscollectedinastoragepondandthenputthroughelectrochemicalprocesses
inordertocollectthegold.NotonlyisHeapLeachingdamagingduringitsuse,butoften
timeswhentheybecomeabandonedtheycancontaminategroundwaterduetothefactthat
theyarestillfullofcyanideandothertoxicchemicals.TheZortmanLanduskygoldmineisa
perfectexampleoftherisksanddevastatingeffectsthatheapleachingcanhaveonthe
environmentandcommunities.LocatedinthelocatedinthelittlerockymountainsofMontana,
theZortmanLanduskyminewasresponsibleforcausingmultiplespillsofcyanideintothe
environment,manyanimalsintheaffectedwerefounddead.Justinthisareaover17million
litersofCyanidesolutionwasspilled,
justinthisonearea
,thereareplentyofotherareas
aroundtheworldthatuseheapleachingandstillhavethesameeffects,unfortunatelyspills
andleakingisquitecommonwiththisparticularwayofmining.Incanadatherewascyanide
leakedfromadrainagepondthatwentintoanearbyriverandkilled20,000SteelheadFish,
inColoradotherewas760,000LitersofcontaminatedwaterspilledintotheAlamosariver
fromnearbydrainageponds,killingwildlifeupto28Kmdowntheriver.Therearealsocases
inJapanofearthquakesdisruptingCyanideandspillingthemintoriverbeds,causing
importantbugsandwaterplantstodieoff,althoughthemovingstreamswashawaythe
cyanide,itsstillbeingcarriedontootherecosystems,anddelayedgrowthandregenerationin
anecosystemarealwaysdelayedafterabigspill.Althoughpeoplethinkthatthiswasagood
waytocollectdifferentmetals,ruiningourecosystemstothisextentisdefinitelynotworthit.
Allinallthereisnogoodwaytoimprovethiswayofcollectingresourcesduetohow
dangerousitisandhowdamagingitistotheenvironment.

Drillingforoilisacommontopicthateveryoneishearingabout,wehavebecome
extremelydependantonoilandhavetakenitinourhandstodowhatwecantoextractitfrom
theearth.Butasweallknowoffshoredrillingforoilhasbeenextremelydamagingtowater

ecosystemsaswellasotherenvironments.Offshoredrillingusuallytakesplacesometimes
thousandsoffeetunderwateraswellasgoinganddiggingunderground.Nowpeoplecango
aheadandsaythatyoucanmakedrillingsafer,lesslikelytoleak,butbyretrievingoil,you're
bringingupothertoxicchemicalssuchasmercury,leadandarsenic.Allofthisgetsreleased
backintotheocean,harmingmarinelife.Toaddtotheproblemseismicwavesthatareused
tofindplacestodrilldifferentmarinelifeandusuallysendMammalssuchasWhales,
Dolphins,andothercreaturesthatcannotsurviveonlandupandontotheshore,beaching
themselves.ExxonMobilwasforcedtostopthesearchforplacestodrillaroundMadagascar
duethethefactthat100whalesbeachedthemselvesinanattempttogetawayfromthe
disorientingseismictechnology.Transportationoftheoilcanbejustasdevastatingaslooking
foritaswellasactuallydrillingit.ForexampletheCanalsthatwerebuiltintheLouisiana
Wetlandsnotonlydestroyedpreciousecosystems,butgotridofanimportantstormbuffer
thatcouldhavepossiblytodowithdamagedoneduringhurricanekatrina.Nowwhenoil
actuallyspillsintotheenvironment,thisiswhereitcausesthemostnoticeablyemotionaland
physicaldamage.April20th2010,aoilrigexplodedintheGulfofMexicoreleasing1,000
barrelsofoilintothegulf.Thousandsofanimalswashedupdeadontheshoresandaquatic
lifewasbroughttoahaltaseverythingwascoatedinathickfilmofoil.Stillafterayearof
cleanupitwassaidthatanimalswerestillswimmingandlivinginblackoilandterrible
conditions.Theonlywayyoucanpreventthisdamageormakeitanybetterisbynotdrilling
offshoreforoil,nomatterhowsafeyoucanmakeanoilrigtherearestillsedimentsthatget
pushedupfromthebottomthatcontaminatethewater,aswellasthethreatofoilleaking
backintotheocean.Wecanspendthemoneytomakedrillinglessrisky,butisthatreally
fixingtheproblemaltogether

Acid Mine Drainage:

MELCON

AcidMineDrainageiswhathappenswhenyoumixmetalswithwatergivingoffthisorangish
colortothewater,messeswiththewildlife,andiscounterproductivetothecompanies.
Firstly,toxinsthatcomefromminingsuchascopper,zinc,andcadmium,arebadforaquatic
lifebecauseifsinkstothebottomofseasandmessesupthebottomdwellersofthesea.
Whatwillhappenifitstartstokillthebottomdwellersisthatthefoodchainwillcollapseand
startputtingsomeotheraquaticanimalsindangerbecausetheywon'thaveenoughfood
(Suchaswhales,andsharks.)Thesetoxinscanbesomewhattreated,itstillleavesbehind
someofthetoxiccontaminantsthatwillstillaffectthelifeofmanyanimals.Secondly,The
chemicalactuallydissolvesomeofthevaluablemetalsthattheminecompanieswant,such
aszinc,copper,andcadmium.Lastly,whenthepyritegetsdowntothewaterthenitmakes
thisorangegrossstuffcalledochre,whichleavesathinsiltontopofthewater.Afterawhile
(evenifitisneutralised)itgetsthisgravelalloverthebottomoftheriverthatkillstheeggs
thatfishlay,again,affectingthefoodchainforthefutureandpresent.Inconclusion,acid

minedrainageisbadfortheaquaticfoodchain,theydestroyvaluablemetalsthatmining
companiesactuallyuse,andpoisonstheeggswiththetoxins.

RiverDredging:
MELCON

RiverDredgingiswhenminingcompaniesdrillintoaseaorocean.Thebadthingsthatcan
happenis,getsridofthepassagewaysforsunlighttogettothebottomofthewaterways,
destroysreefsandoverallenvironment,andfinallyitkillsseaturtlesandotherseacreatures
withitsdeadlybladeddrills.Firstly,itdestroysturbiditysuppressorswhichgetssunlightdown
tocertainspotsinthesea.Whichisbadforplantsandanimalsundertheseabecausealotof
plantsthatpreviouslyhadsunlightnowneedit,sowhenitgetsdestroyeditkillstheplants.
Secondly,itdestroyspartsofreefswiththecablestheyusetodothemining,andevenifon
theoffchancethattheydontgetdestroyedwiththecablestheywillbecoveredinmuckthat
getsthrownoutduringthemining,damagingthem.Lastly,Itkillsseaturtlesusingthis
cutterheaddredgingendforthismachinethatcutsintothegroundofbeachesandsand
alreadyinthesea.Thecutterheadkillsseaturtlesthatareburrowedundertheseaandtrying
tolayeggs.Inconclusion,riverdredgingisbadbecauseitcutsoffsunlighttoliving
organisms,destroysthereefswiththecables,andkillsseaturtleslayingeggs.

Conclusion