WHO'S WHO IN MINING AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Who's who in Mining and the Environment

Many international, regional and national organizations now include environmental considerations in activities related to mining. Within the UN system, UNEP (www.uneptie.org) has a particular role to play in providing guidance, information and policy advice on sustainability issues in mining and minerals development. In working towards a broader consensus approach on environmental management, UNEP works with international and national partners to define "good practice" procedures and "responsible enterpreneurship" by mining companies. The World Bank (www.worldbank.org) has sponsored a series of workshops aimed at defining environmental and social policies and procedures relevant to mining development. During 1998 and 1999 conferences on small scale and artisanal mining were held in Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Papua New Guinea. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD - www.unctad.org) has sponsored meetings and information of use to national agencies. In addition, UNCTAD, with financial assistance from the Government of the Netherlands, established the Mineral Resources Forum website (MRF). The UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE) is a principal partner in the Environment Section of MRF (www.mineralresourcesforum.org).

The Baia Mare tailings accident (30 January 2000) resulted in a number of initiatives to consider follow up actions by various bodies and governments, including the European Union (EU), Romanian Government, UNEP and the Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The objective of the various taskforces and assessment missions is to establish the cause of the accident, assess the damage, propose actions to remedy the negative impacts, propose actions to keep the general public fully informed, and to propose actions to prevent future accidents. UNEP and then International Council on Metals and the Environment held a joint workshop on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response in May 2000 to discuss the application of APELL (Awareness & Preparedness for Emergencies at the Local Level programme) to the mining sector. APELL provides a well established general methodology which UNEP is now tailoring to the specific characteristics and needs of the mining industry and its communities (www.uneptie.org/apell).

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO - www.unido.org) included small-scale mining and mercury pollution among its high-priority programmes for the year 2000, as well as providing expertise in minerals processing technologies.

The World Health Organization (WHO - www.who.int), which is concerned about health and safety impacts of mine waste, has earlier worked with UNEP to develop information and training materials. Other ongoing activities including the Sectoral Activities Programme in the Industrial Activities Branch of the International Labour Organization (ILO - www.ilo.org) which aims at ensuring safe working conditions at mine sites. While the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has no mining programme as such, its national offices frequently sponsor training, information and environmental assessment activities related to mining development.

Since implementing new policies and approaches requires new skills based on up-to-date information, building such capacity in government and industry partners around the world has been an important activity for UNEP. In October 1999, the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia and UNEP jointly organized an international conference on environmental education in the minerals and energy industries in Australia. Academics, industry and government officials discussed how environmental issues can be better incorporated into current and future teaching curricula without detracting from the extensive technical education that is required (www.mineralresourcesforum.unep.ch/BaiaMare/index.htm).

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and UNEP jointly held a second Berlin Roundtable on Mining and the Environment in 1999, in collaboration with the Deutsche Stiftung für Internationale Entwicklung (DSE-German Foundation for International Development). (see the Berlin II Guidelines elsewhere in this publication).

At the regional level, the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC - www.cec.org) was created in 1993 by Canada, Mexico and the United States under the North American Agreement in Environmental Cooperation to address regional environmental concerns, prevent potential trade and environmental conflicts, and to promote the effective enforcement of environmental law. Related to minerals and metals are its initiatives on sound management of chemicals and the North American Pollutant Release and Transfer Register.

In the late 1990's, the Mining Policy Research Initiative (MPRI - www.idrc.ca/mpri) was launched to address some of the concerns raised from the rapid expansion of mineral exploration and development throughout Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Based in Montevideo, Uruguay, MPRI focuses on the impact of mining on ecosystems and human health and the regulation of mining for environmental purposes. Appropriate research is underway to ensure that mining is supportive of sustainable development in LAC.

In endeavouring to integrate environmental concerns and industry best practices, some national governments have been proactive in defining and producing publicly available guidelines (1).

Industry groups are mostly organized around national mining associations and international commodity organizations primarily concerned with trade issues (2). One group focusing on environmental issues is the International Council on Metals and mining (ICMM - http://www.icmm.com/) Its' predecessor body, ICME worked with UNEP to review policy issues and define practical procedures for improving the industry's general environmental performance.

Although not primarily focused on mining, the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has been promoting more systematic and integrated environmental management (eco-efficiency) by companies. One specific initiative was the MMSD (Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development - www.iied.org/mmsd) as one of a number of projects being supported by the Global Mining Initiative (GMI - www.globalmining.com). GMI was an initiative of more than 25 CEO's of major mining companies to "ensure that the mining, minerals and metals industry is responsive to global needs and challenges."

Another organization making a strong contribution to the mining and environmental discussion is the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), which has sponsored numerous technical publications and conferences concerning tailings dams. ICOLD and UNEP jointly published a 1996 survey of tailings incidents. A second publication entitled "Tailings Dams: Risk of Dangerous Occurrences - Lessons learnt from practical experiences" is expected to be published in early 2001. Finally, and based on recommendations in the UNEP/OCHA Baia Mare Assessment Mission Report, a study of contingency options including structures for tailings dams incorporating fail-safe features, secondary security measures, and revised siting criteria, especially when hazardous materials like cyanide are involved, is under consideration.

A number of national mining associations are increasingly addressing the environmental agenda in a pro-active way. As well as organizing regular workshops and seminars on environmental matters, several associations have developed firm policies on environmental responsibility that members are expected to abide by. A number of institutions of mining and metallurgy hold regular conferences and publish information on environmental issues, generally with a technical orientation (3).

Academic and research institutes mainly have a national focus. One exception is MERN - Mining and Energy Research Network (formally the Mining Environmental Research Network) which is located within the Corporate Citizenship Unit at the University of Warwick Business School (UK). Its research and training activities relate to the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development across the minerals and energy sectors. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mining Unit in Lusaka, Zambia, has a small environmental unit which undertakes studies and seminars in Southern Africa.

In addition, a number of national institutions are strongly focused on international work. CENTEK in Sweden, and Queens University in Canada, have programmes for international training. Many national institutes also undertake consultancy and advisory work in other countries. The Colorado School of Mines co-published with UNEP a book entitled the "Sustainable Development and the Future of Mineral Investment" as a collaborative effort of the Institute for Global Resources Policy and Management at Colorado School of Mines (USA), the Metal Mining Agency of Japan.

A few community groups are active in regard to mining and environment, often publishing information on recent problems and upcoming issues. These groups include World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), The World Conservation Union-IUCN, Friends of the Earth, Conservation International, Mineral Policy Institute and the Mineral Policy Centre as well as a number of more nationally focused bodies in specific countries. MiningWatch Canada (www.miningwatch.ca) is a pan-Canadian initiative addressing the ``urgent need for a co-ordinated public interest response to threats to public health, water and air quality …posed by irresponsible mineral policies and practices in Canada and around the world. Key issues relate to indigenous issues, biodiversity, small-scale and artisanal mining.

Finally, many regional development banks and bilateral aid agencies in Europe, North America, Japan and Australia have sponsored environmental programmes in developing countries. These programmes typically involve a range of training, technical and assessment projects.

Notes:

(1) Environment Australia has a series of Best Practice Environmental Management in Mining series. These include: cyanide management; tailings containment; environmental management; and rehabilitation and revegetation.

(2) Commodity study groups include: International Lead Zince Study Group (www.ilzsg.org); International Copper Study Group (www.icsg.org); International Nickel Study Group (www.insg.org). These and other associations can be accessed through the Mineral Resources Forum website

(3) Several national mining associations (eg Australia, Canada, Philippines) have environmental for their members. The Mining Association of Canada has also published a Guide to the Management of Tailings Facilities.