Mining tailing ponds are among the largest and most dangerous structures engineered by humanity. #GreenEnergy is expected to increase the demand for certain minerals 30- to 800-fold, which means a lot more toxic tailings ponds worldwide. ๐งต
The worldโs 29,000-35,000 existing active, inactive and abandoned tailings storage facilities contain approximately 223 billion tonnes (534 billion cubic meters) of tailings waste.
Every one million tonnes of mined mineral product generated requires physical and economic provision to also manage 4.9 million tonnes of waste ore, waste rock and tailings.
When the tailings dam in Brumadinho Brazilโs Minas Gerais province failed it spilled over 12 million cubic metres of water and waste, submerging everything within seven kilometres, trees, homes and animals. Killing approx. 270-320 people.
This is only one of many. The collapse of tailing ponds killed at least 2900 people in the last century. The environmental damage, due primarily to the extensive contamination of the soil and water, has already lasted generations.
You cannot discuss #GreenEnergy without discussing tailing ponds. It is all part and parcel in what's required to mine the minerals necessary for the transition. Tailings reforms alone will not lower risk and consequence of catastrophic tailings failures.
In fact it is expected to increase. The increasing frequency and severity of significant failures is dramatically higher 2010-2019 than 2000-2009.
Over the next 5 yrs 40-50 billion tons of tailings is expected to be generated. So when they tell you that EV, wind turbine and solar panel is "green" don't forget the price the environment and the people pay.
There is nothing green about mining and nothing green about #GreenEnergy.
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