Chasing gold for a lost world—the threat of climate change

Mining has been a major contributor of foreign earnings to Ghana’s economy, sustaining the country over a century. In his recent address to parliament, Ghana’s Finance Minister in lamenting over the depreciation of the local currency against the dollar retorted “the miner and the cocoa farmer have been the main suppliers of forex for our nation”.

The sector employs 28,000 people in the large scale mining industry whilst over 1,000,000 people are engaged in the small scale gold, diamonds, sand winning and quarry industries. In 2014, Ghana produced 3.1 million ounces of gold. This resulted in export revenues of over US$3billion. It is significant to note that small scale miners contributed some 28 percent of the total gold production in 2014.

Beneath all these huge figures is the growing topic of climate change. Ghana through illegal mining, popularly called galamsey has destroyed significant portions of its forest regions and polluted most of the rivers that serve as a drinking water for the citizenry.

Even though the sector has contributed greatly to improve the economy, the time has come for a true assessment as we lose our natural environment forever.

With the issue of climate change coming up strongly, we cannot continue to behave like we are an island and destroy our natural vegetation in search of gold and other minerals.

The River Pra, which hitherto served as fresh water for humans and bush animals is now filled with cyanide and other dangerous chemicals. The river has lost its life to the activities of illegal mining. Many rivers in Ghana have

suffered similar fate, we act as though we do not take part in a global village, hence, not affected by the severe weather patterns that have engulfed the world in recent times.

The mining and minerals industry is increasingly challenged by the necessity to assess, plan for and adapt to changes in the climate. Some people have attributed the challenges to the location, the rugged landscapes and harsh climates that the sector faces. With all the returns that are being made from the sector, it should be practicable to reinvest in the resurrections of forest regions.

At this time of global warming, we cannot afford to cut down trees for gold. Here in Ghana, the issue of mining and its contribution to climate change has hardly been discussed.

Chile, the world's leading copper mining country, is a good example of the mining sector's vulnerability. Its Atacama Desert on the Peruvian border is the hottest, driest desert in the world, receiving as little as a half­inch of rain a year.

According to reports, it doesn't rain at all, in some years and some areas never get a drop.

Yet the region is home to Escondida, the world's largest copper mine earning billions of dollars annually.

Mining makes climate change direr because it is a water­intensive industry. As mining operations expand into more water­stressed areas the world is bound to be a desert in no time. According to Global Water Intelligence, mining companies expended $11.9 billion on water infrastructure in 2013, up from $3.4 billion in 2009.

In 2013, Reuters reported that the rising costs of water prompted Moody's Investors Service "to warn of possible risks to credit ratings ... the consequences of poor environmental risk management [which] will increasingly lead to production stoppages, protests, fines, and license withdrawals."

Clearly, business owners must be cautious of the fast pace in which our environment and water bodies are being destroyed. If pragmatic steps are not taken to halt these activities drought would severely impact our water balance.

As part of measures to nip the problem in the bud, mining companies must enhance their carbon management policy and this must be used as an index crucial for the company's competitive position and credit rating.

Investors must look to good practice by multinational mining firms whether they conform to environmentally friendly requirements before funds are voted for mining firms.

Another area mining companies can focus on is wind facility. Although not as reliable as diesel engines, the wind turbines can supply enough power to reduce annual fuel use to a substantial amount and reduce mines’ carbon emission.

To encourage the use of clean energy, countries in sub­Saharan Africa like Ghana, must impress on giant mining firms to incorporate wind and solar energy in their energy mix to reduce carbon emission.

To stop the operations of galamsey, government must enforce the law when people are caught engaging in illegal mining. This calls for regularization of the activities of small scale miners to incorporate their activities into a national agenda policy.

Climate change is catching on fast and we in Africa must help to fight back degradation of our natural environment.

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