...Policy Brief to address the issue of South Korean access to rare-earth minerals Eleonora Nam 201232133 "China controls about 95% of the global supply of rare-earth minerals, which are used in everything from consumer electronics to batteries to defense systems. In recent years the government has reduced its export quotas to secure greater control over prices...China's export restrictions on rare earths have been the focus of the international policy and market pressures in recent months." - Wall Street Journal Issue: China is the "world leader" in the reserves and "production" of rare earth minerals - raw material for the production of metals. It produces 95-97% of all rare earth elements on earth. Moreover, China does not allow the export of rare earth elements as raw materials, only finished products that are made in China. China's monopoly power in the REE market allows to influence "international affairs". As Elliot Brennan pointed out, with the increasing demand, reduced exports of Beijing in recent years is forcing high-tech companies to move to China and governments to invest in their "exploration" and "production." Most importantly, this power allows China to manipulate the prices of the rare earths, for the demand is increasing each year. Nowadays, none of the technology industry can do without the use of the rare earths, which are necessary for the production of products such as smart phones, wind turbines, batteries for electric vehicles, as well as...
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...Queensland BHP Billiton Australia: BHP battle with farmers - New South Wales Oil and Gas and Greenhouse Gases BHP Billiton globally: Re-carbonising instead of decarbonising BHP Billiton in Australia: Hero or destroyer? Uranium BHP Billiton in Australia: “Wanti” uranium – leave it BHP Billiton in Australia: Irradiating the future BHP Billiton in Indonesia: Mining for REDD a false solution to climate change Solutions? Less mining, more reuse and recycling? Moving into rare earths? Footnotes BHP Global mining operations – dirty energy investments 1 3 4 7 8 10 10 11 12 13 15 18 19 20 22 Introduction “More than 30 million people were displaced in 2010 by environmental and weather-related disasters across Asia, experts have warned, and the problem is only likely to grow worse as climate change exacerbates such problems. Tens of millions more people are likely to be similarly displaced in the future by the effects of climate change, including rising sea levels, floods, droughts and reduced agricultural productivity. Such people are likely to migrate in regions across Asia, and governments must start to prepare for the problems this will create.” – Asian Development Bank Report1 8 4 5 BHP Billiton accepts the importance of reducing carbon emissions but has no immediate intention of reducing its production of the materials which make the greatest contribution to them. 6 7 1 2 BHP Global mining operations 13 PRODUCTION OF DIRTY ENERGY MINERALS:...
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...People can come in contact with mercury in a number of ways. There is increased risk of mercury exposure in the dental, health and chemical industries. People are also at risk of consuming an unsafe amount of mercury if they eat certain things in excess amounts, such as more than 6 ounces of albacore tuna per week, or over 12 ounces of fish like shrimp, canned tuna, salmon, pollock or catfish. Exposure to mercury can cause brain damage, kidney damage, lung damage and various digestive system problems (McCoy). Perhaps the person most vulnerable to mercury poisoning is the pregnant woman and her unborn fetus. Trauma caused to infants and children as a result of mercury exposure is exponentially worse than it would be an adult. In most cases, it causes severe nervous system problems. Exposure A EU study found that “between 1.5 and 2 million children in the EU are born each year with MeHg exposures above the safe limit of 0.58µg/g and 200,000 above the WHO recommended maximum of 2.5µg/g” (Sunderland). Exposure to MeHg in these amounts affects brain development. Stunted brain development leads to a lower IQ. A low IQ lessens one’s earning power. When just looking at the European Union, the consequences are of paramount importance. In the study, Prof Philippe Grandjean explained, "If we convert the effects of MeHg on developing brains into IQ points then the benefits of controlling MeHg pollution equates to 700,000 IQ points per year and monetary benefits of €8,000 to...
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...Chapter 14 Review The environmental effects of gold mining can harm the environment in many negative ways. Gold miners removed enough rock to equal the weight of 50 automobiles to extract a little amount of gold. The leftover waste is piled near the mine sites and can pollute the air and nearby surface water. Mining companies also created a new mining technology called cyanide heap leaching to level entire mountains of rock. In order for them to extract the gold, they spray a solution of highly toxic cyanide salts. This cyanide is extremely toxic to birds and mammals drawn to these ponds in search of water and they can leak into the rivers posing as a threat to fish and other life forms. Geology is the science devoted to the study of dynamic processes occurring on the earth’s surface and in its interior. The core is the earth’s innermost zone. The mantle is a thick zone surrounding the core. The crust is the outermost and thinnest zone of the earth. The tectonic plates are various sized areas of the earth’s lithosphere that move slowly around with the mantle’s flowing asthenosphere. The lithosphere is the outer shell of the earth, composed of the crust and the rigid, outermost part of the mantle outside the asthenosphere. A transform vault is an area where the earth’s lithospheric plates move in opposite but parallel directions along a fracture in the lithosphere. Weathering is the physical and chemical processes in which solid rock exposed at earth’s surface is changed to separate...
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...! ! ! Group Project: Ethics of the Mining Industry Group 4 Business Ethics 04-71-300-02 Professor Singh Date submitted: March 19th, 2014 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !1 Executive Summary This report assesses the global mining industry from a business perspective. Firstly, it begins with the history of mining across the globe and the structure of the mining industry. It then analyzes the impacts of the mining industry globally. Lastly, it addresses the issues surrounding our land—the Canadian mining industry. The research shows that the history of mining goes as far as the Neolithic era. The mining value chain presented demonstrates the formation of a mining company to the extraction of the natural resources. Further investigation shows that the mining structure is an oligopoly. Methods of analysis include an environmental analysis using PEST and a stakeholder map, which focus on the performance of a world-renowned mining company TransAlta. The finding is that management’s role is to have efficiency and productivity while maintaining ethical practices. Ethical theories are then used to look at the social, environmental and economical impacts of the Canadian industry. It is concluded that each ethical theory presents a favorable solution to each impact. Social corporate responsibility is evaluated in the last ten years in Canada and around the globe. It is found that the industry has become one of the most safety-conscious industries within Canada. The companies still...
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...Pollution Research www.atmospolres.com Assessment of air pollution around coal mining area: Emphasizing on spatial distributions, seasonal variations and heavy metals, using cluster and principal component analysis Bhanu Pandey 1, Madhoolika Agrawal 1, Siddharth Singh 2 1 2 Laboratory of Air Pollution and Global Climate Change, Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi–221005, India Environmental Management Group, Central Institute of Mining & Fuel Research (CSIR), Barwa road, Dhanbad–826015, India ABSTRACT Jharia Coal field (JCF) in Jharkhand is the richest coal bearing area in India, which contains large quantities of high grade coking coal. The conventional coal fuel cycle is among the most destructive activities on the earth, threatening the health, polluting the air and water, harming the land, and contributing to global warming. The variations in air quality in terms of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter around JCF were evaluated over the period of 2010 and 2011 at five sites during different seasons. Air pollution index (API), calculated on the basis of suspended particulate matter (SPM), SO2 and NO2 concentrations was highest near the coal mining area. The ambient concentrations of heavy metals (in PM10) also showed significant temporal and spatial variations at different sites around coal mining areas. Pollutants dispersion and spatial variations were explained by the ...
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...In an article on Earthworks website states there are times of fracking that can cause earthquakes one during the injection of fluids near pre-existing faults. The other is one brought up before which is disposal of fracking waste water (Earth Works). The articles that argued fracking wasn’t a cause seem to consider the disposal of the fracking waste water as a complete other process in itself. One could argue that the disposal of the fracking waste water is part of the fracking process. One of the arguments made by the articles that argued that fracking did not cause earthquakes said that any earthquakes caused by fracking where rare and too small to matter. The Earthworks article had something different to say stating that there have been large earthquakes including a 5.7 in Oklahoma may have been caused by fracking and is under study. In an article by Noah Rayman states that fracking to close to faults in Ohio caused a dozen earth tremors which prompted strict permit conditions (Raymen, 2015). According to the many articles that argue that Fracking is a cause of earth quacks there is a pattern and say that if there was no fracking there would be less reasons to pump fracking fluid and waste water near faults thus stopping these...
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...rate is much higher in other less developed countries around the world (Coal, 2013). With coal energy still being one of the major forms of energy production, coal energy companies are still trying to secure new contracts to mine coal in new places throughout the United States. Recently this issue has reached the Pacific Northwest as Ambre Energy has been working on obtaining a permit to mine and transport coal through the Columbia River Gorge with mining in Boardman, Oregon. As of today their permit has been denied, but they are in the process of appealing this decision. There are many ethical issues on both sides that will ultimately determine whether or not Ambre Energy is allowed to proceed and obtain a permit to mine and ship coal from Boardman, Oregon. If approved current estimates are that Ambre Energy would be mining and shipping approximately eight million tons of coal per year through the Columbia River Gorge (Friends, 2014). The ethical lens that most easily pertains to this situation is Utilitarianism, which is the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Considering both short and long term consequences is also very important when using this lens to make an ethical decision (Johnson, 2012). It’s likely that both sides in this case utilized this type of thinking when making the decision on whether or not to mine and transport coal in the Gorge. From Ambre Energy’s perspective it could be argued that the...
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...existing database architectures. It is like an ocean of data in which we people swim in every day with an effort to come on the surface, but every day the level of data increases tremendously. Gone are the days when memory was used to be measured in Gigabytes or Terabytes or Petabytes, today it is measured in exabytes, zettabytes or yottabytes. With Big Data solutions, organizations can dive into all data and gain valuable insights that were previously unimaginable. The term “big data” can be pretty nebulous, in the same way that the term “cloud” covers diverse technologies....
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...Tech. A project part-1 submitted to Gujarat Technological University In partial fulfilment of The Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Engineering In Mining Engineering October 2012 CERTIFICATE This is to certify that Ms. Mamta Jaswal of BE. Semester VII (Mining engineering) has completed her one full semester on project work Titled “STUDY OF SLOPE STABILITY IN LIGNITE MINES” Satisfactorily in partial fulfilment of requirement of Bachelor of Engineering In Mining Engineering, Gujarat Technology University, Ahmedabad in the year 2012. Date: / / 2012 Place: Palanpur Internal Guide Prof. V.J. Sharma Prof. Rajesh Arora Head of Department (Mining engineering) Seal of institute CERTIFICATE This is to certify that Mr. Nilay J. Patel of BE. Semester VII (Mining engineering) has completed his one full semester on project work Titled “STUDY OF SLOPE STABILITY IN LIGNITE MINES” Satisfactorily in partial fulfilment of requirement of Bachelor of Engineering In Mining Engineering, Gujarat Technology University, Ahmedabad in the year 2012. Date: / / 2012 Place: Palanpur Internal Guide ...
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...An Analysis of the Government's Role in the Mining Industry in the Philippines Steven B. Baria Kim Edbonn C. Castillo Maridy D. Nuyda Economics 151 Prof. Teresa J Ho March 13, 2013 The stance of the government in recapturing the essence of the mining industry in the country has been reiterated time and again. The industry has been tapped as one of the most viable provider of revenues and employment through local and foreign investments. Past administrations had stressed the importance of favorable investment conditions that is supposed to promote the economic growth and progress, particularly in the mining industry. However, various issues has haunted the implementation of a holistic mining industry in the nation. This paper aims to provide a view of the efficiency and equity issues that plagues the whole of the mining sector and what the government can do in order to cater to these considerations. The Philippine case would be the vantage point of the study. The paper starts by defining some terms that is helpful in understanding the entire paper. A discussion of the externalities emanating from the mining industry and equity and efficiency arguments follows suit. Lastly an analysis of the government’s role in the Philippines and some recommendations are given. Mining: Some Definitions Mining is the useful extraction of minerals and other geological materials from the surface of the earth. This involves complicated and expensive processes and is accompanied by externalities...
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...COALGATE Interim Report Ethics & Values in Management Submitted to: Prof. N.R. Govinda Sharma Submitted by: Group B3 - Ethereal FEBRUARY 10, 2014 SDMIMD Mysore Table of Contents 1 .Major Ethical issues ............................................................................................................................ 2 2. Ethical dilemma ................................................................................................................................. 3 3. Ethical Theories .................................................................................................................................. 5 3.1. Consequentialism ......................................................................................................................... 5 3.2. Utilitarianism ............................................................................................................................... 5 3.3. Ethical Realism (as espoused by Reinhold Niebuhr) (the lesser of two evils) ............................ 5 4. Approaches that can be followed to resolve these dilemmas and Issues ............................................ 6 References .............................................................................................................................................. 7 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 7 1|Page ...
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...the organisms because the nutrients cause the algae and water plants to grow to abnormally large sizes. This can eventually block waterways. As the wastes decompose it uses up oxygen and blocks the flow of water in natural rivers and streams. Also, as these nutrients decompose in the water, they use up oxygen which can harm all the organisms living in the environment. Fish and other organisms living in water need oxygen just as much as humans need it. Since all aquatic organisms depend on oxygen in the water, without a sufficient supply they will not be able to survive. This would be a very dangerous thing. Anything that can decrease the amount of oxygen in water can seriously damage the fish supply, since fish also depend on oxygen. A solution for this problem would be to test the water quality testing to see exactly how much oxygen is in the water to find out where the major problems areas are, then not dump any more wastes in water with low amounts of oxygen. We can write a custom essay on Water Pollution for you!...
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...the planet but the mitigation strategies to slow this process down vary as well. When speaking of this topic there are two basic types of climate change, natural and anthropogenic. Main contributor in the climate change or global warming can be referred to as greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are derived from water vapor, Methane, Chlorofluorocarbons, and Carbon dioxide. Anthropogenic theory state that the development and consumption of fossil fuels for human life has generated and released a large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. According to this theory the excess carbon dioxide is the main cause of climate change around the world. This process prevents heat from earth to escape naturally into space and hence cool the earth. The theory known as the natural theory states that the earth is going through one of the many peaks and valleys of changes. This of course being a peak of warm temperatures, in the span of the earth’s life, could last for many years until the peak ends. Basically the natural climate change theory attempts to analyze questions such as “to what extent is the warming? Has this phenomena happened before? Could the excess in greenhouse gases simply be a symptom of climate change?” (Dr. Clarinn 2013). While both attempt to personify the realization of...
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...ecologically rich provinces in Canada, with boreal forests covering most of the northern and eastern parts of the province. The exploration of the Alberta tar sands has a great impact on the environment and the community. The devastation effects can destroy ancient forests, while contaminating food and water, which disrupts local wildlife, leading to greenhouse gas emissions, as well as serious health problems. As the production of oil through tar sands creates intensive challenges, immediate strategies that control the amount of devastation are greatly needed. The Cost-Benefit Analysis of Alberta’s Tar Sands As the world is racing to discover new ways to find replacements for the rapidly diminishing stores of fossil fuels, many have gone into the avenue of looking for the solution via the route of renewable energy. However, the discovery of Canada's greatest buried treasure in Alberta has drawn attention from a multitude of countries around the world, all of them eager to sign contracts with Canadian petroleum suppliers. In a report released by the government in the late 1800's, a report dealing with the region's tar sands called them as the “most extensive petroleum field in America, and even went to the extent that the fields will rank among the crown jewels of the Crown” (Nikiforuk, 2008, p. 7). Nevertheless, there some serious implications to consider in the production of crude oil through what is known as tar sands. The exploration of the Alberta...
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