https://environmental-conscience.com/mining-pros-cons/

Mining is hazardous to those who engage in it, especially those who work underground. Mineral dust inhalation can induce fatal diseases such as pneumoconiosis or black lung, and the machinery utilized frequently causes hearing loss. Furthermore, miners are also prone to back injuries and other physical ailments. While major tragedies are frequently covered by the media, many miners who are wounded or killed in the workplace go unnoticed. Nearly 2,500 miners died in 2010 due to causes other than severe accidents (Staff Writer, 2020).

Working conditions in those mines are sometimes deplorable, particularly in poor developing countries, and safety precautions are frequently inadequate or lacking. This implies that each day, miners risk their lives for low wages. Therefore, a series of minimum official safety standards and regulations should be in place to help protect those workers from the dangers associated with mining (Andreas, n.d.).

References:
https://www.howden.com/en-us/articles/mining/we-need-to-talk-about-mining

https://environmental-conscience.com/mining-pros-cons/ 

 https://www.reference.com/science/disadvantages-mining-7db6f3b8c2277cf8

https://www.ilo.org/manila/public/pr/WCMS_706334/lang--en/index.htm

Poor working conditions in mines
         These illegal minings are mostly in the form of "Artisanal and small-scale gold mines". Workers don't have enough protection for working. Operations of these minings are also unpermitted and are not covered by government regulation.

For every mineral extracted from mining, there’s a forest that is losing trees. Trees provide us with oxygen. Trees serve as habitats for different animal species. But because of deforestation, animals struggled to find new homes, and some species started to be endangered. Also, landslides, erosion, and floods might occur.

The waste materials from mining are thrown to rivers and other bodies of water; it will result to water pollution. Water is a need for every life on the planet. When a water supply gets contaminated as a result of pollution, it can cause health problems for both individuals and the environment.

Mining has a significant impact on air quality. Because miners must blast through rock to get ore, dust may be generated throughout the operation. Coal mines generate methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to environmental problems.

If we're losing our environment, that means animals are also struggling to find their new habitat. 1/3 of the forest in our world is already damaged by mining. Here in Philippines, we have this mountain called Mount Busa, where we can find rare plants and animals, just like the Philippine Eagle, but because of mining (mostly illegal) habitat destruction has already begun. Some species are endangered due to habitat loss because of mining (blue-legged mantilla, lemurs, etc.) 

Half of the areas identified as mining projects or potential mining projects are on indigenous lands. The Lumads are trying to protect their land. They are trying to protect our environment. According to the Kalikasan People’s Network, at least 272 environmental defenders were killed between 2001 and 2019, More than half of them were protesting mines.

References:

https://socratic.org/questions/how-does-mining-affect-biodiversity

https://www.chathamhouse.org/2020/10/minings-impacts-forests/5-conclusion

https://www.healthyoptions.com.ph/newsdigest/strong-immunity/irresponsible-mining-damages-the-environment

https://opinion.inquirer.net/140401/stop-mining

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/sapphire-mining-fuels-lemur-deaths-in-madagascar

https://news.mongabay.com/2021/04/mining-and-logging-threaten-a-wildlife-wonderland-on-a-philippine-mountain/

According to the video that ma’am sent, open mining is the safest method of mining, but in this case it is not. Hazardous metals are present during every step of open mining method. Inside of these rocks can expose us from radioactive contaminants that are unhealthy for humans and our environment. Some toxic metals frequently associated with mining include mercury, arsenic and lead. These substances are present at low concentrations in soil, rock and water, but the process of mining may release large quantities harmful to the health of people and the environment. Thus, our life expectancy often is drastically low. It could also change the genetic composition of an organism.

There is this collapse in November of a mining dam in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, which resulted in the flooding of the whole town under a sea of mud contaminated with heavy metals such as silica and iron ore waste. The biodiversity of the river has completely lost. It killed almost 270 people because of the impact. It also left 250,000 people without drinking water after the downstream supply systems were polluted by thick slurry of contaminated materials. It cause terrible human tragedy and environmental disaster. The total settlement costed 7 billion dollars.

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/topics/respiratorydiseases.html 

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/pneumoconiosis#:~:text=Pneumoconiosis%20is%20one%20of%20a,usually%20take%20years%20to%20develop.

https://youtu.be/WvJZY14fOgk 

Ecological imbalance is the disturbance of the natural balance of the ecosystem caused mostly by careless human activities. The destruction caused by mineral extraction often creates this imbalance. It affects the land, atmosphere, water, and people. Quarrying of mines strips open-air vegetation and damages our land resources, trees have been cut down and landslides are prevalent;  most coal mines released methane into the air, and because of its ability to trap heat in the atmosphere, it plays a part in climate change; Residues from mining activities are drained and dumped into the rivers and in other places; Spill of toxic materials such as mercury caused the death of many (Peru, South America). 

Demand must be reduced, manufactured things must be reused, and materials must be recycled. In order to make informed decisions, we need to factor in the exact costs of collecting and processing raw resources. Indigenous peoples must be able to give their free, prior, and informed permission, and mining must be decided in a democratic and inclusive manner. Mines that require 'perpetual care,' such as heavy metal or radioactive contamination, should not be built.

We must give our valuable geological resources a true value and leave them in the ground until they are truly needed.

 

-https://www.denr.gov.ph/index.php/news-events/press-releases/520-lopez-orders-closure-of-23-metallic-mines

-https://www.howden.com/en-us/articles/mining/we-need-to-talk-about-mining

 

When we say indispensable, it is absolutely necessary. However, mining is not necessarily needed. Why not?

Because, as we all know, the basic needs of man are food, clothing, and shelter. The mining industry is not included in the basic needs of man. In fact, it can be one of the causes of death and sickness in people. For instance, in 2017, the late Secretary of DENR, Gina Lopez, closed 23 metallic mines in the country for serious environmental violations, including river siltation, the destruction of a functional watershed, and illegal tree-cutting. If these environmental violations continue, our natural resources will slowly be gone. If this happens, the next generation will no longer see and utilize our natural resources.

Another major effect of mining can cause sickness and death in humans. Why? Because the process of mining, as you all know, uses explosions, toxic air, heavy machinery, and extreme temperatures. After the explosion, miners will know to cave in and do the drilling underground. This process is very dangerous and harmful. The air they will inhale is very toxic and polluted. It can cause serious sickness that may lead to death. Sometimes sudden earthquakes occur because of an explosion that may kill people or might bury them to death.

There is no amount of money or treasure that can replace the lives and health of people. Therefore, mining is not indispensable at all; it just creates social injustices and chaos for the people.