Do the disadvantages of copper mining outweigh the advantages of the metal to society?

Copper is one of the most important, irreplaceable metals implemented in today’s society. It has an atomic number of 29 (29 protons, 29 electrons, 35 neutrons), a relative atomic mass of 63.546 amu (see Figure 1), a melting point of 1084.62°C and an electron configuration of [Ar] 3d10 4s1 (see Figure 2). Copper is a tough, ductile, malleable metal that possesses extremely high thermal and electrical conductivity. The fundamental reason why copper can so effectively conduct electricity is due to it’s delocalised electrons. Electrical conduction is caused by valence electrons breaking free of their atoms and moving around, and copper only has one delocalised …show more content…
This characteristic lead to very early human use - the first recorded use of copper was in 8000 BC (EdInformatics. 2014). However, to this date, copper is still one of the most fundamental elements to society with a plethora of significant uses. The power of electricity, the backbone of today’s technological-powered society, is founded upon the use of copper wire as an electrical conductor. Nearly all things electronic require the usage of copper and thus we would not be able to live our current lifestyle without the metal - one tonne of copper brings functionality in 40 cars, powers 60,000 mobile phones, enables operations in 400 computers, and distributes electricity to 30 homes (Copper Alliance, 2016). Copper’s superior electrical conductivity and ability to be drawn into a wire (see Figure 3) greatly increases the efficiency of electrical motors, which is vital as motor and motor driven systems account for 69% of all electricity used by industry and 43%–46% of all global electricity consumption (Geology.com, 2015). Copper also has further applications in construction (roofing and plumbing), industrial machinery (heat transfer systems) and alloys (e.g coins) (see Figure 4 for full distribution figures). This metal certainly has a variety of significant implementations in society, but do …show more content…
A plausible improvement to this flawed mining system could be harsher safety and environment regulations on copper mining companies, ensuring the mines have as little impact on their surroundings as possible. This would prevent possible disasters due to corporate neglect of safety issues, such as the Mount Polley disaster. Better communication between mining companies and governments and the public would ensure less corporate mining misdemeanour. Furthermore, research and development into new technologies for more sustainable, less dangerous copper mining techniques should be completed - removing unsustainable techniques such as leeching and finding new ways to store toxic waste. However, copper is so efficient at conducting electricity it is essentially irreplaceable in our society, so it is unlikely the metal should be replaced entirely. Copper can be 100% recycled; more effort should be spent recycling copper so that humans do not deplete the earth of this valuable