The environmental and human costs of mining are becoming increasingly apparent and alarming. Approximately 60% of Ghana's waterways are heavily polluted due to gold mining along riverbanks. In Peru, many communities have lost access to safe drinking water after environmental protection measures were weakened and regulatory controls suspended to facilitate new mining projects. This even polluted the Rímac River, which supplies water to the capital, Lima. Today, environmental crises are exacerbated by deepening inequality and social divisions in many mining-dependent countries. The ‘Global Atlas of Environmental and Mental Justice’ has documented over 900 mining-related conflicts worldwide, approximately 85% of which involve the use or pollution of rivers, lakes, and groundwater. In this context, the rapid reshaping of resource geopolitics by major economies is creating a separate and alarming situation.
While the U.S. seeks to stabilize its fossil fuel-based global economy, it also attempts to secure the minerals it needs for electric vehicles, renewable energy, weapons systems, digital infrastructure, and construction, often through coercive and aggressive negotiation tactics. Seeking to reduce its dependence on China, which dominates the processing of rare earth elements, the U.S. is increasingly disregarding environmental and humanitarian concerns. Despite overwhelming evidence that increased resource extraction threatens water resources and public safety, ecosystems supporting all life on Earth are at high risk as governments around the world weaken environmental protection measures to attract foreign investment. When people cannot trust political leaders to protect their rights, they are highly likely to resist, and the resulting social conflict can hinder investment. The backlash against Rio Tinto’s ‘Jadar Lithium Mining’ project in Serbia is a prime example. Many Serbs believed the government was prioritizing corporate interests by proceeding with the project despite its failure to meet basic sustainability standards. Public outcry halted development and left the company facing significant losses.
Effectively implemented robust legal frameworks can create the necessary conditions for stable and rights-respecting development. Given the current escalating geopolitical tensions, multilateral forums like COP and UNEA are vital to prevent global fragmentation and develop common solutions. Just as oil-producing countries collectively influence global prices, mineral-rich countries must work together to raise their environmental standards. Through collective action, a destructive downward race can be averted, and the voices of local communities, particularly indigenous peoples and other stakeholders, can be heard. At a time when clean drinking water is increasingly scarce, glaciers are melting, and agriculture is under increasing threat, coordinated international action is no longer optional. The resolution submitted by Colombia and Oman to the UN Environment Programme in December, calling for a binding mining agreement, represents a significant step toward fairer global standards.
Led by Colombia and co-sponsored by countries like Zambia, which are very familiar with the costs of the mining industry, this proposal calls for cooperation across the entire mining chain to mitigate environmental damage and protect the rights of indigenous peoples and other affected communities. By placing responsibility on resource-consuming countries, it aims to ensure that the burden of reform does not fall solely on mining economies. More importantly, it addresses the dangers posed by tailings dams and other mining waste that have led to hundreds of deaths. Taken together, these measures offer a rare opportunity to begin correcting the inequalities long created by mining. All countries, especially mining producers who have historically been excluded from the negotiating table, should seize this opportunity.
