IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jrpoli/v49y2016icp119-128.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Environmentally sustainable mining: The case of tailings storage facilities

Author

Listed:
  • Schoenberger, Erica

Abstract

This paper addresses the question of whether mining can be done in a way that contains and remediates environmental impacts and thereby safeguards the livelihoods of local populations. It focuses on tailings storage facilities (TSF) as the source of most mining-related disasters. It compares outcomes at three mines – two which ended in disaster and one notable success – to try to get at what factors are critical in producing these outcomes. Although the design and construction of TSFs is technically challenging,the paper concludes that the basic causes of TSF failure are political, not technical. A second purpose of this paper is to suggest that a social scientific analysis of engineered projects needs to pay attention to the engineering.

Suggested Citation

  • Schoenberger, Erica, 2016. "Environmentally sustainable mining: The case of tailings storage facilities," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 119-128.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:49:y:2016:i:c:p:119-128
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2016.04.009
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301420716300782
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.resourpol.2016.04.009?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Min, Byung S. & Smyth, Russell, 2014. "Corporate governance, globalization and firm productivity," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 372-385.
    2. ., 2014. "Devolution, city governance and economic performance," Chapters, in: Urban Economics and Urban Policy, chapter 7, pages 157-184, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Franks, Daniel M. & Boger, David V. & Côte, Claire M. & Mulligan, David R., 2011. "Sustainable development principles for the disposal of mining and mineral processing wastes," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 114-122, June.
    4. Mudd, Gavin M., 2007. "Global trends in gold mining: Towards quantifying environmental and resource sustainability," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(1-2), pages 42-56.
    5. Oecd, 2015. "Intergovernmental organisation activities," Nuclear Law Bulletin, OECD Publishing, vol. 2014(2), pages 133-142.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Endl, Andreas & Tost, Michael & Hitch, Michael & Moser, Peter & Feiel, Susanne, 2021. "Europe's mining innovation trends and their contribution to the sustainable development goals: Blind spots and strong points," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    2. Lim, Seul-Ye & Min, Seo-Hyeon & Yoo, Seung-Hoon, 2016. "The public value of contaminated soil remediation in Janghang copper smelter of Korea," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 66-74.
    3. Elisabeth Christen & Klaus S. Friesenbichler & Alexander Hudetz & Claudia Kettner-Marx & Ina Meyer & Franz Sinabell, 2021. "Außenhandel und nachhaltige Entwicklung in Österreich. Befunde auf der Grundlage von vorliegenden Quellen," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 69290, February.
    4. Kim, Ju-Hee & Kim, Kyung-Hag & Yoo, Seung-Hoon, 2022. "Evaluating and ranking the mining damage prevention programs in South Korea: An application of the fuzzy set theory," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    5. Karakaya, Emrah & Nuur, Cali, 2018. "Social sciences and the mining sector: Some insights into recent research trends," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 257-267.
    6. Rudolf Suppes & Soraya Heuss-Aßbichler, 2021. "How to Identify Potentials and Barriers of Raw Materials Recovery from Tailings? Part II: A Practical UNFC-Compliant Approach to Assess Project Sustainability with On-Site Exploration Data," Resources, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-48, October.
    7. Gustavo Lagos & David Peters & Marcos Lima & José Joaquín Jara, 2020. "Potential copper production through 2035 in Chile," Mineral Economics, Springer;Raw Materials Group (RMG);Luleå University of Technology, vol. 33(1), pages 43-56, July.
    8. Bach, Vanessa & Finogenova, Natalia & Berger, Markus & Winter, Lisa & Finkbeiner, Matthias, 2017. "Enhancing the assessment of critical resource use at the country level with the SCARCE method – Case study of Germany," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 283-299.
    9. Shuai Li & Qiusong Chen & Xinmin Wang, 2016. "Superiority of Filtered Tailings Storage Facility to Conventional Tailings Impoundment in Southern Rainy Regions of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-12, November.
    10. Carlos Cacciuttolo & Alex Marinovic, 2023. "Experiences of Underground Mine Backfilling Using Mine Tailings Developed in the Andean Region of Peru: A Green Mining Solution to Reduce Socio-Environmental Impacts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-27, August.
    11. Ojeda-Pereira, Iván & Campos-Medina, Fernando, 2021. "International trends in mining tailings publications: A descriptive bibliometric study," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    12. Garbarino, Elena & Orveillon, Glenn & Saveyn, Hans G.M., 2020. "Management of waste from extractive industries: The new European reference document on the Best Available Techniques," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    13. Carlos Cacciuttolo & Deyvis Cano, 2023. "Spatial and Temporal Study of Supernatant Process Water Pond in Tailings Storage Facilities: Use of Remote Sensing Techniques for Preventing Mine Tailings Dam Failures," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-32, March.
    14. Juliana Segura-Salazar & Luís Marcelo Tavares, 2018. "Sustainability in the Minerals Industry: Seeking a Consensus on Its Meaning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-38, May.
    15. Sally Innis & Negar Ghahramani & Nahyan Rana & Scott McDougall & Stephen G. Evans & W. Andy Take & Nadja C. Kunz, 2022. "The Development and Demonstration of a Semi-Automated Regional Hazard Mapping Tool for Tailings Storage Facility Failures," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-20, September.
    16. Mohammed Hefni & Hussin A. M. Ahmed & Ebaa Shaikh Omar & Maaz A. Ali, 2021. "The Potential Re-Use of Saudi Mine Tailings in Mine Backfill: A Path towards Sustainable Mining in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-18, May.
    17. Carlos Cacciuttolo Vargas & Alex Marinovic Pulido, 2022. "Sustainable Management of Thickened Tailings in Chile and Peru: A Review of Practical Experience and Socio-Environmental Acceptance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-65, August.
    18. Eduful, Michael & Alsharif, Kamal & Eduful, Alexander & Acheampong, Michael & Eduful, Joyce & Mazumder, Lubana, 2020. "The Illegal Artisanal and Small-scale mining (Galamsey) ‘Menace’ in Ghana: Is Military-Style Approach the Answer?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    19. Carlos Cacciuttolo & Edison Atencio, 2022. "Past, Present, and Future of Copper Mine Tailings Governance in Chile (1905–2022): A Review in One of the Leading Mining Countries in the World," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-41, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hwang, Seokyoun & Sarath, Bharat & Han, Seung-youb, 2022. "Auditor independence: The effect of auditors’ quality control efforts and corporate governance," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    2. Krausmann, Fridolin & Gingrich, Simone & Eisenmenger, Nina & Erb, Karl-Heinz & Haberl, Helmut & Fischer-Kowalski, Marina, 2009. "Growth in global materials use, GDP and population during the 20th century," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(10), pages 2696-2705, August.
    3. Guiomar Calvo & Gavin Mudd & Alicia Valero & Antonio Valero, 2016. "Decreasing Ore Grades in Global Metallic Mining: A Theoretical Issue or a Global Reality?," Resources, MDPI, vol. 5(4), pages 1-14, November.
    4. Ki‐Hoon Lee, 2017. "Does Size Matter? Evaluating Corporate Environmental Disclosure in the Australian Mining and Metal Industry: A Combined Approach of Quantity and Quality Measurement," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(2), pages 209-223, February.
    5. Devenin, Verónica, 2021. "Collaborative community development in mining regions: The Calama Plus and Creo Antofagasta programs in Chile," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    6. Muibat Omotola Fashola & Veronica Mpode Ngole-Jeme & Olubukola Oluranti Babalola, 2016. "Heavy Metal Pollution from Gold Mines: Environmental Effects and Bacterial Strategies for Resistance," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-20, October.
    7. Stefan Pichler & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2015. "The Pros and Cons of Sick Pay Schemes: Testing for Contagious Presenteeism and Shirking Behavior," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1509, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    8. Byung S. Min, 2018. "Effects of Outsider’s Monitoring on Capital Structure and Corporate Growth Strategy: Evidence from a Natural Experiment," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(2), pages 459-475, October.
    9. Araya, Natalia & Ramírez, Yendery & Cisternas, Luis A. & Kraslawski, Andrzej, 2021. "Use of real options to enhance water-energy nexus in mine tailings management," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 303(C).
    10. Ojeda-Pereira, Iván & Campos-Medina, Fernando, 2021. "International trends in mining tailings publications: A descriptive bibliometric study," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    11. Swart, Pilar & Dewulf, Jo, 2013. "Quantifying the impacts of primary metal resource use in life cycle assessment based on recent mining data," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 180-187.
    12. Patricia Frenz & Jay S. Kaufman & Carolina Nazzal & Gabriel Cavada & Francisco Cerecera & Nicolás Silva, 2017. "Mediation of the effect of childhood socioeconomic position by educational attainment on adult chronic disease in Chile," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 62(9), pages 1007-1017, December.
    13. Shahba, Sudabe & Arjmandi, Reza & Monavari, Masoud & Ghodusi, Jamal, 2017. "Application of multi-attribute decision-making methods in SWOT analysis of mine waste management (case study: Sirjan's Golgohar iron mine, Iran)," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 67-76.
    14. Bach, Vanessa & Finogenova, Natalia & Berger, Markus & Winter, Lisa & Finkbeiner, Matthias, 2017. "Enhancing the assessment of critical resource use at the country level with the SCARCE method – Case study of Germany," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 283-299.
    15. Zattoni, Alessandro & Witt, Michael A. & Judge, William Q. & Talaulicar, Till & Chen, Jean Jinghan & Lewellyn, Krista & Hu, Helen Wei & Gabrielsson, Jonas & Rivas, Jose Luis & Puffer, Sheila & Shukla,, 2017. "Does board independence influence financial performance in IPO firms? The moderating role of the national business system," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(5), pages 628-639.
    16. Yellishetty, Mohan & Ranjith, P.G. & Tharumarajah, A., 2010. "Iron ore and steel production trends and material flows in the world: Is this really sustainable?," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 54(12), pages 1084-1094.
    17. Justyna Kujawska & Małgorzata Pawłowska, 2020. "Effect of drill cuttings addition on physicochemical and chemical properties of soil and red clover (Trifolium pretense L.) growth," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(11), pages 1-16, November.
    18. Archana Sinha & Bibhas Chandra & Arvind Kumar Mishra & Shubham Goswami, 2023. "An Assessment on Quality of Life and Happiness Indices of Project Affected People in Indian Coalfields," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-24, June.
    19. Pichler, Stefan & Ziebarth, Nicolas R., 2017. "The pros and cons of sick pay schemes: Testing for contagious presenteeism and noncontagious absenteeism behavior," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 14-33.
    20. Urkidi, Leire, 2010. "A glocal environmental movement against gold mining: Pascua-Lama in Chile," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(2), pages 219-227, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:49:y:2016:i:c:p:119-128. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/30467 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.