What is the reason why mining is unsustainable?

The major sticking point in the mining issue arises from the fact that
each stakeholder has a different view of the costs that they have to bear in
pursuing their economic objectives. When a mining firm befouls the
atmosphere, pollutes water supplies, contaminates the soil, and disturbs
the delicate geological balance in the area within and around the mining
site, the corresponding costs in terms of lower long-run economic
productivity from the mining area are borne not by the firm but by the
community. Unless these so-called external costs are factored into the
private cost-benefit calculations of the firm, mining activities will be
extended beyond levels that are consistent with the long-run interests of
society. From a social viewpoint, mining operations are sub-optimal and
therefore unsustainableIndividual mining projects are also unsustainable
from the viewpoint of the mining concessions themselves. At some point in
time, the mineral ore that is being mined is completely exhausted, or
extraction costs become prohibitive and their operations cease to be viable.
The company disinvests from its current operation and moves on to other
sites in the country or elsewhere in the world, and the community in
question is left holding the bag

2. Can timber production be sustainable? Why and Why Not?

Timber is not only a renewable and recyclable resource, but it is

energy-efficient to produce. Importantly, timber acts as a carbon store, giving it an
important role to play in reducing carbon emissions. Timber production is a
renewable land use that is undertaken in forestry plantations and natural
multiple-use forests across the world. Managing forests for timber is a
cyclical process that involves the harvest and regeneration of forests on a
continuing basis. Every time a tree is harvested up to ten trees are
re-established in its place. As the trees regrow they seek more light and
space and natural competition gives rise to some trees becoming dominant
over overs. Thinning, be it natural or mechanical, provides space for
growing trees and plays an important role in maintaining forest health. By
the time a forest reaches maturity only a small percentage of the original
trees will have survived. When some or all of these trees are harvested and
the renewable cycle begins again.