The Environmental Responsibility Of Diamond Mining And The Environment

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

The environment is all that we see around us and it must be cared for by everyone is the community. Bid industrial companies have destroyed the environment by polluting it with its waste and products during production and manufacturing. Environmental responsibility is concerned with the issue of responsible personal conduct with respect to natural landscapes, resources, species and non-human organisms. Patridge (Unkown) states that “moral responsibility normally implies knowledge, capacity, choice, and value significance. That is to say, if a person is morally responsible to do something, then he (a) knows of this requirement, (b) is capable of performing it, (c) can freely choose whether or not to do it, and (d)

Many questions need to be asked like;

• Do mining companies care for the environment?

• Are any animals and humans being hurt by diamond mining?

• Will the environment be able to reproduce after mining is complete?

• Are moral responsibilities and laws taken into consideration?

• What is being done to reduce pollution?

• Are there any preservation schemes in place?

Many people would argue these questions by saying ‘it will grow back in a few years.” Everyone has a responsibility to preserve the environment and all that live in it. With the explosion of technological advances, new ways of mining are being created which are either more harmful or less harmful to the environment.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Every diamond mine will encounter different challenges and the different challenges will impact differently on the environment. A few common environmental impacts will be highlight which most diamond companies create.

• Mining techniques

• Use of water

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Water is a natural resource in the world and due to mining it is becoming scarce. Surrounding communities are forced to relocate due to the mining companies operating in their area and using their drinking water. Diamond mining uses large quantities of water and thus ends up polluting the water or dehydrating the environment around it; in turn causing soil erosion due to the dryness of the ground.

WASTE – Diamond mining produces waste like every other large industrial company, oil is diamond companies largest waste product. “Waste like oil has long term effects on the environment; it makes the ground incapable of producing vegetation and allowing animals or organisms to inhabit the land. Oil pollutes water by destroying all species living in it and making the water undrinkable for both humans and animals” (World diamond council, unknown).

ENERGY USE AND EMISSIONS – “Diamond exploration and mining use two forms of energy: electricity and hydrocarbons (diesel, marine gas, oil and petrol). Carbon emissions are considered to be a major factor in global warming and climate change and thus pollute the air. When these gases are released into the environment they can threaten our health and our environment” (World diamond council,