Mining and Opinions

The public perception of mining is very controversial. People consume large amounts of metals, without really considering the environmental, safety and health implications of their production. For example, who would actually consider that for a few grams of gold one needs to blast a ton of rocks? After "moving mountains", the ore is often processed by large amounts of highly toxic chemicals while consuming enormous amounts of energy. All this for a small piece of beautiful gold ring - and how about the all the cars, aluminium cans or electr(on)ic equipment we use every day?

The OMENTIN network recognises that stopping mining activities is unrealistic and it is not necessary either. A socially, environmentally and economically acceptable solution can only be made after an extensive analysis of both negative (such as landscape destruction and health/environmental hazards) and positive issues (for example employment issues and product delivery). Our network offers a working platform to these discussions, where scientists, environmentalists and mining experts can freely express and disseminate their opinions.

Working in a pan-European context one must also emphasize that the level of public awareness differs considerably between EU countries and their eastern neighbours. In Central and Eastern European countries mining is primarily a social issue of large-scale employment. In EU countries (although socio-economic considerations do exist) environmental considerations are given significantly higher emphasis.

Following extensive research and consultations on this field, the OMENTIN network has published a report on the public perception of mining in Europe. You can download the full text report from this site from August 2004.