Canada is one of the most economically sound countries and a part to its success is the substance potash. Although potash is an important contributor to Canada’s economy there are always negatives that come with the positives. Therefore the question is asked, ‘Should Canada mine potash?’ and there are many different views to how this question should be answered. Some people would say ‘yes’ because potash helps the economy, however others would say ‘no’ because potash mining can hurt the environment. No matter how many answers there are, there will be no right answer without negatives.
Potash is a potassium compound and there are many different types, however the most common is potassium chloride. This is the potash that most people know about, …show more content…
Firstly, potash can be very dangerous to the miners because potash dust when inhaled can cause many problems such as respiratory problems such as phlegm production and shortness of breath. This may seem harmless but these symptoms would remain if there were constant exposure to potash. Another negative of potash is that the mines can be very dangerous for the workers. In 2012 there was a fire at a mine in Saskatchewan and 20 workers were trapped in the mine, fortunately all of the workers made it out alive. Although all the workers made it out of the mine, this event could have ended much worse. A third negative of potash is that the mining of it contaminates a lot of water. For example, a mine in Saskatchewan can go through 40 million litres of water per day, the size of 15 Olympic size swimming pools, to separate potash from other minerals. A final reason that potash is bad is that there are many more environmental impacts that happen during the mining process such as vegetation and wildlife disruption and also mining lowers water tables. Potash mining can cause many problems and has many downsides that affect not only the environment but also …show more content…
First of all, potash helps to increase the growth of important crops such as corn, soybeans, coffee beans and rice. Potash helps because since the main component is potassium, the potassium is an essential element that helps plants and crops withstand tough conditions therefore the harvest will be bigger. A second positive with potash mining is that it employs many people that otherwise would not have jobs. In 2012, 5041 people were employed in the potash mining industry. Without the potash industry these people would not have a job and therefore they would not be able to support their families. Another positive with potash mining is that since there is a lot in Canada, the Canadian government sells the potash to other countries. In 2013, the total income of Canadian potash was 6,102,900,000 dollars contributing to 0.14% of Canada’s total income. Finally, potash mining is good because with the population of the world continually rising the amount of crops will not, causing an eventual starvation. However, since potash increases growth of crops there will be enough food for everybody therefore mining potash could in fact save many lives in the future. Mining potash may be viewed by some people as bad, however these facts prove that potash contributes very positively to today’s economy and