Mining globalization and its negative effects
Introduction
Growth of resources and energy prices due to the shortage of minerals, oil and gas produce geopolitical agitation and a new boom in the extractive industries sector. In this context, mining companies transgress laws and environmental and labor rules in order to minimize their production costs and have exorbitant profits.
Mining is a primary economic activity and as all productive activity generates benefits such as investments, jobs, indirect contracts, etc. And also a series that must be treated continuousSome cases, etc. In a globalized economy, mining investments come from foreign companies, which in turn seek to carry out their businesses in peripheral countries, lacking controls, with cheaper works and thus be able to make their businesses more profitable.
There are contemporary economic analysts that argue that mining does not generate sustainable development, based on the fact that only regions benefit and that the environmental impact it generates is very high. It should be the State, through clear laws, which sets the rules to reduce the negative effects of mining and transform this extractive activity into a productive;considering that he is the owner of the resource and that with this activity a large number of jobs, economic, industrial development, etc.
In a globalized economy, mining is managed with foreign investors, which in turn seek to carry out their businesses with peripheral countries, lacking controls, with cheaper labor and thus be able to make their businesses more profitable.
The negative effects of mining globalization
Mining globalization generates a large number of negative effects for the environment, due to the large -scale increase in energy resources and consequently increases the emission of polluting substances, which in turn produce climate change and global warming, which, whichIt currently represents a threat to human development.
IMF policies, IDB and World Bank assume economic globalization as a fact and that the only way for national development is opening, without restrictions, foreign capital. This is the recipe that facilitated the looting of our mineral and oil mineral wealth
Environmental conflicts and resistance from communities
In Peru during the Fujimori government, mining reached its boom with the support of the World Bank, which originated conflicts between companies and communities. As a result, it is that Conacami arose, whose objective was to defend the rights of communities and fight against the economic model. The "participatory and decentralized planning" was defined as the "only way for sustainable development";However, currently communities and peoples affected by mining have little or no participation in decisions for the approval of the execution of mining projects. Case of the mining project of Aunt María that already has the construction license granted by the central government without having obtained the social license of the affected population.
In the midst of these growing problems of social and environmental conflicts that are being raised nationally, various communities in the region have begun to defend the principles of sustainability for themselves, because the State and companies, beyond formal recognition,They do not even fully assimilate the strategic value of that participation.
In the case of the Aunt María, Las Bambas and Coroccohuayco project, there is a growing public concern for the social and environmental responsibility of investments. Some banks, groups of investors and large corporations explain in their principles that the projects require a ‘social license’ to operate and seek, even regardless of the government as the framework agreements signed by mining and municipalities, whose agreements mostlyThey failed for mishandling of their representatives. State policies are missing to regulate these agreements.
There is no institutional and normative framework
The IMF, the IDB and the World Bank bring new conditioning to national governments. Consequently, if a local group, a community or population of an area, claim a place in the decision on a large investment project, does not fit that reality. The social license is dead letter.
Very much that in environmental legislation, incorporated in recent years, public consultation and audience forms are contemplated in the evaluation of project impacts, but or do not apply or function as bureaucratic instances that are used to legitimize projects insteadto expose them to criticism. In short, there is no institutional and normative framework that gives communities a real participation in development decisions.
Conclusions
- Undoubtedly globalization is a system that was imposed in the world to generate certain benefits to countries that have a strong financial muscle and accelerated development possibilities, but does not measure aspects such as inequality and detriment to the environment.
- The environment has been impacted as a negative form generating damage to the majority irreversible, water, air, ozone layer and soils that in turn brings health and poverty problems.
- The concept of sustainable development is the strategy and the way to guarantee the ideal process that balances the development of the economic without the detriment to the environment.
- It is important to develop and demonstrate the research capacity of the Professional in Mining Projects Engineering for the generation of proposals that contribute to environmental policies and the country’s economic growth.
References
- Pazos Beceiro, Carlos, essay, "neoliberal globalization and war: essential antagonists of sustainable development and health".
- Segrelles, José Antonio. Human Geography Department. University of Alicante (Spain), essay, globalization.
- Viña del Mar Conference, Globalization and Environment 2011
- Victor l. Bacchetta, Uruguayan journalist – Lima 2006
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