planetGOLD, wants to end gold pollution.
The planetGOLD program, led by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), seeks to end the toxic path of small-scale gold prospecting. 100 million people are exposed to mercury, the proposal is to reduce the use to less than 512 tons.
The UNEP
The United Nations Environment Program, UNEP, warns that up to 20 million miners, in more than 80 countries, work in small-scale artisanal gold prospecting activities. Among them, at least 4 million women and children.
These often unregulated and unsafe operations are responsible for 37% of global mercury pollution, more than any other sector.
The toxic trail of gold prospecting
Representatives work with governments, the private sector and prospector communities to eliminate mercury from artisanal prospecting and promote safer work environments.
Funded by the Global Environment Facility, it operates under the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a global agreement designed to phase out the use of this metal.
Program manager Ludovic Bernaudat claims that more than 100 million people depend on artisanal gold prospecting for their livelihoods.
Thus, he considers that partnership with governments is essential to provide workers with knowledge and information to gradually eliminate the use of mercury.
the mercury
Mercury is a toxic chemical that can cause irreversible brain damage and harm the health of the ecosystem. There is no known safe exposure level for elemental mercury in humans, and effects can occur even at very low rates.
Artisanal prospecting accounts for 20% of the global gold supply and generates approximately US$30 billion annually. However, according to UNEP, artisanal operations are informal and outside the reach of existing national regulatory frameworks.
This can occur because governments lack access to reliable information about the sector and are unable to provide administrative, technical and financial support or favor large-scale prospecting operations.
According to the UN environmental agency, many governments are taking steps to implement safer standards under the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which aims to comprehensively regulate the metal throughout its lifecycle, from production to use and disposal. .
But enforcement is not always consistent, especially in rural areas and developing countries, giving rise to unsafe artisanal operations.
The results of artisanal prospecting
According to UNEP, artisanal and small-scale prospecting emits more than 2 tons of mercury per year. This includes emissions to air from heating amalgams, as well as direct mercury losses to land and water.
The product, used in prospecting for over 3 years, does not degrade in the environment. Research shows that forest canopies near small-scale gold prospecting sites can trap and accumulate large volumes of atmospheric mercury pollution.
This means that mercury can accumulate and be transmitted along the food chain causing damage to the nervous, digestive and immune systems of animals and humans.
Estimates suggest that up to 100 million people are somehow exposed to mercury from small-scale gold prospecting.
A new “gold” standard
To combat the problem, planetGOLD facilitates the sharing of technical and guidance materials between artisanal gold mines and governments. It also advocates technological alternatives to reduce and eliminate mercury dependence.
The first phase featured projects to improve access to finance in nine countries, including Kenya, the Philippines and Indonesia.
What do you think of this situation? Do the risks of prospecting for gold outweigh the benefits? We want to know your opinion, do not hesitate to comment and if you liked the article, share and give a “like/like”.
Picture: © 2023 UN News
