PERSPECTIVES ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE MINING INDUSTRY

• Jurisdiction: Derecho Internacional

MINING LAW & INVESTMENT IN LATIN AMERICA
(April 2003)
CHAPTER 8A
PERSPECTIVES ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE MINING INDUSTRY
Janet M. Epps ¹
Behre Dolbear & Company
Cremorne, New South Wales, Australia

Sustainable Development, or Sustainability, remains a controversial concept within the mining sector. Broadly defined, Sustainability reflects the desire that human beings act in ways that simultaneously sustain, or even enhance the natural environment, including both environmental quality and the stock of natural resources, economic well being, and social justice. The concern is that we are not acting sustainably. That is, economic progress is coming at the expense of significant social injustice and inequity and damage to natural resources and the environment, so that future generations will have to live with a more depleted and degraded environment.

In practice, striving towards Sustainability in all three areas (environmental, economic, and social) may involve conflict and tradeoffs. These tradeoffs will be unique to each individual site, depending on such factors as the specific characteristics of location, company culture, the affected community, government, the political setting, age of the development etc.

Sustainable development is multi-dimensional and from experience in the mining sector we see five elements that comprise the Sustainability picture, as follows:

Financial - a project must have financial Sustainability to succeed for an appropriate project life, to ensure all commitments (including implementing a comprehensive Closure Plan) and objectives are fulfilled, which should include having a positive impact on its environmental, social and political surroundings.

Environmental - a high priority should be the state of environmental Sustainability, ad- dressing protection, and in some cases enhancement, of the natural and physical environment and its ecosystems, with a strong view to its long-term productivity and to the maintenance of biodiversity.

Economic - in combination with its financial position, a project should promote economic Sustainability within its area of influence, with a view to enhancing local and where appropriate, regional economic growth.

Social - social Sustainability must be a key component of minerals project development, including measures to enhance community wellbeing resulting from the development. This can include opportunities for fulfilling the human and community potential, and mainte-...