{"title":"Concurrence of mining and climate change: environmental implications and mitigation strategies.","authors":"Anita Punia, Saurabh Kumar Singh","doi":"10.1007/s10653-025-02556-z","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mines degrade and contaminate environment at local or regional level posing risk to human health. However, the consequences of environmental degradation caused by mines on climate change is limited in literature. The review is carried out to understand the interplay of mines and climate change in perspective of its environmental implications. Mining and mineral processing contribute to climate change first, by emitting the greenhouse gases (GHGs) and second, by decreasing the carbon storage due to loss of vegetation cover. The increasing demand for minerals promotes the extraction of low-grade ore in extensive quantity further leading to an increase in fossil fuel consumption and GHGs emission. The decline in vegetation cover is attributed to decline of water resources, conversion of fertile land to wasteland and change in land use pattern. The variation in climatic factors such as temperature, precipitation and melting of glaciers accelerate the environmental degradation. Metal contamination due to tailing dam failure or runoff from waste dumps is expected to increase under the influence of climate change. It is difficult to quantify the role of mines on climate change considering the indirect factors such as loss of vegetation cover, acid mine drainage, quantity of waste generated and decline in water resources. The present study makes an attempt to understand the role of these indirect factors in climate change. Similarly, the contribution of mines in climate change can be reduce by replacing use of non-renewable energy with renewable energy. It would reduce carbon footprint of mines.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"47 7","pages":"241"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-025-02556-z","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Mines degrade and contaminate environment at local or regional level posing risk to human health. However, the consequences of environmental degradation caused by mines on climate change is limited in literature. The review is carried out to understand the interplay of mines and climate change in perspective of its environmental implications. Mining and mineral processing contribute to climate change first, by emitting the greenhouse gases (GHGs) and second, by decreasing the carbon storage due to loss of vegetation cover. The increasing demand for minerals promotes the extraction of low-grade ore in extensive quantity further leading to an increase in fossil fuel consumption and GHGs emission. The decline in vegetation cover is attributed to decline of water resources, conversion of fertile land to wasteland and change in land use pattern. The variation in climatic factors such as temperature, precipitation and melting of glaciers accelerate the environmental degradation. Metal contamination due to tailing dam failure or runoff from waste dumps is expected to increase under the influence of climate change. It is difficult to quantify the role of mines on climate change considering the indirect factors such as loss of vegetation cover, acid mine drainage, quantity of waste generated and decline in water resources. The present study makes an attempt to understand the role of these indirect factors in climate change. Similarly, the contribution of mines in climate change can be reduce by replacing use of non-renewable energy with renewable energy. It would reduce carbon footprint of mines.
期刊介绍：
Environmental Geochemistry and Health publishes original research papers and review papers across the broad field of environmental geochemistry. Environmental geochemistry and health establishes and explains links between the natural or disturbed chemical composition of the earth’s surface and the health of plants, animals and people.
Beneficial elements regulate or promote enzymatic and hormonal activity whereas other elements may be toxic. Bedrock geochemistry controls the composition of soil and hence that of water and vegetation. Environmental issues, such as pollution, arising from the extraction and use of mineral resources, are discussed. The effects of contaminants introduced into the earth’s geochemical systems are examined. Geochemical surveys of soil, water and plants show how major and trace elements are distributed geographically. Associated epidemiological studies reveal the possibility of causal links between the natural or disturbed geochemical environment and disease. Experimental research illuminates the nature or consequences of natural or disturbed geochemical processes.
The journal particularly welcomes novel research linking environmental geochemistry and health issues on such topics as: heavy metals (including mercury), persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and mixed chemicals emitted through human activities, such as uncontrolled recycling of electronic-waste; waste recycling; surface-atmospheric interaction processes (natural and anthropogenic emissions, vertical transport, deposition, and physical-chemical interaction) of gases and aerosols; phytoremediation/restoration of contaminated sites; food contamination and safety; environmental effects of medicines; effects and toxicity of mixed pollutants; speciation of heavy metals/metalloids; effects of mining; disturbed geochemistry from human behavior, natural or man-made hazards; particle and nanoparticle toxicology; risk and the vulnerability of populations, etc.
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