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CILT/BRAZIL-BRASILIA-3B-TEACHER:Cristina Lourenço
My research is about mining in a Brazilian city, where the extraction of bauxite is made.
First, let's understand what bauxite is:
Bauxite is a red rock formed mainly of aluminum oxide and other compounds in smaller quantities. Bauxite is the main natural source of aluminum, and most of its worldwide extraction is destined to obtain this element.
Bauxite extraction for alumina production is a process in which bauxite is subjected to high temperatures and a highly caustic solution results in red mud, which is a highly polluting waste generated by the production of aluminum.
Mining activity and environmental sustainability are antagonistic processes. Even with the technical and technological apparatus, mineral extraction still causes great socio-environmental impacts. The bauxite removal process inevitably needs to devastate large acres of vegetation. In the Amazon, mineral exploration overthrows trees protected by law, contaminates unknown ecosystems scientifically, resulting, consecutively, in serious social problems.
Oriximiná has about 70 thousand inhabitants and is known worldwide for its natural wealth and for over 30 years has a Bauxite Extraction Project implemented by Mineração Rio do Norte (MRN), which has already caused, according to the leaderships, many environmental damages , social and cultural - which causes indignation of the traditional populations. One of the examples is the contamination of the "Batata Lake", near the project, where the miner dumped the Bauxite waste for several years, and until today the company was not liable and there was no compensation for the damage.
Short-term damages
* In the short term, the damages caused to the environment are enormous due to the concentration of sodium hydroxide. If diluted in water, it has a corrosive effect that destroys the vegetation.
* The production of primary aluminum consumes a lot of energy and exhaust resources. In 2006, this production consumed 6% of all electricity generated in the country
* Mining also consumes extraordinary volumes of water. There are cases where it is necessary to lower the water table for the development of the tillage, harming other potential consumers.
Long-term damage
* losses of large areas of native ecosystems
* silting rivers;
* air pollution
Aluminum production is also responsible for the emission of perfluorocarbons, a gas regulated by the Kyoto Protocol, whose potential is 6,500 to 9,200 times greater than carbon dioxide (CO2) in creating the greenhouse effect. It is also important to consider other negative impacts, such as the generation of solid and toxic waste involved in the primary production of the metal, as well as the emissions of the aluminum itself into the atmosphere, since high levels have toxic effects, affecting both vegetation and population.
Who benefits from this resource extraction?
* The company responsible - North River Milling (MRN)
* Public coffers: bauxite revenue was R $ 1.7 billion in 2015, of which R $ 232 million in taxes collected.
* About 5 thousand employees, direct and indirect.
Who is disadvantaged?
Prior to the mineral discovery at the site, there were already remaining groups of quilombos, extractivists organized collectively and sparsely distributed. They lived in ethnically closed and socially autonomous communities, practicing subsistence agriculture, collecting plant species, hunting for their own consumption and for commercialization in the regional market. During the installation of mining, such communities were ignored.
The suffering of the people is expressed even in their songs that portray the gray history of an unfriendly relationship with the mining company from the time of its implantation in the 1970s to the present day. Even in the face of so much suffering they still preserve much of their culture through music, dance, crafts and others.
With regard to the local economy, mining promoted some dynamism, but did not include rural communities. In addition to not having been integrated as labor in the company, they have not been able to sell their extractive and agricultural production, they are also losing part of their main source of income - the extraction of Brazil nuts - due to the territorial overlap natural resources: chestnut and bauxite, both located at the top of the sedimentary plateaus.
Initiatives for conflict resolution
The main interests at stake are those of the quilombola communities, and the company responsible for mining. On the one hand, people do not want to lose their native lands, and on the other side, the mining company, which wants to expand production and make a profit.
The quilombola people had the support of many institutions and NGOs.
Some institutions in partnership with the Public Defender of the state of Pará, held on January 26 and 27, 2016, a historic meeting that brought together 500 indigenous leaders and quilombolas, as well as several authorities. Also present were representatives of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), environmental agency of the Brazilian government, CIMI (a body linked to the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, a work of the Catholic Church with indigenous peoples). and others. The event discussed the theme "Hydroelectric and Mining in the Amazon: Impacts on the indigenous territories and Quilombolas of Oriximiná".
During the meeting several denunciations were presented, among them; it was also denounced the lack of legitimacy of a Working Group created by the mining company with representatives of associations that do not really represent the community, because according to many of the community members they do not participate in the decisions and do not feel represented;
They also had the support of the Palmares Cultural Foundation, which informed the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) irregularities in a Study of the Quilombola Component submitted by Mineração Rio do Norte made for the environmental licensing process. implementation of a technical analysis of the impact assessment. The study did not present basic data, such as areas to be deforested in quilombo lands; the restriction imposed on free circulation in the territory, among other factors.
In order to reduce the large impacts of mining, it will be necessary to increase environmental requirements and inspection, forcing changes in mining behavior. The prices of minerals should also reflect the enormous socio-environmental cost of their exploitation, although this will imply an increase in the final price of the products. That would be an advantage, contrary to economists' assumptions, as it would increase efficiency and reduce the waste of raw materials.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.oeco.org.br/colunas/carlos-gabaglia-penna/20837-efeitos-da-mineracao-no-meio-ambiente/
https://povosindigenas.org.br/pt/noticias?id=4873
http://www.infoescola.com/rochas-e-minerais/bauxita
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1 Comment(s)
Well write and very informative. You are all the questions asked and followed the guidelines accordingly. Your recommendation is compelling and I totally agree with you. "In order to reduce the large impacts of mining, it will be necessary to increase environmental requirements and inspection, forcing changes in mining behaviour" - this struck me the most.
Elliot Damasah
Oct 31, 2017