Mining can take its toll on the environment when done irresponsibly, especially in vulnerable ecosystems like the Amazon Rainforest. Deforestation and river pollution are common complaints from communities living near a mine. Heavy metals and chemicals like mercury and cyanide often kill off flora and fauna. But that environmental loss can also be viewed as an economic one. Damaging carbon sinks and natural aquifers can be extremely costly in the long run, leading to mudslides, drought, climate change and poor air quality, among many other things. Framing environmental impacts in economic terms can be helpful for driving home just how serious a situation has become. Dollar figures can trigger the alarm for doubtful politicians and investors. “We’ve been focused on measuring the amount of deforestation,” said Matt Finer, director and senior research specialist of Amazon Conservation’s Monitoring of the Amazon Project (MAAP). “That’s been our unit of measure, the number of hectares of deforestation, which for me is very compelling. But I recognize that for others, it may be not as compelling as other variables like health impacts or economic impacts.” He added, “Whether or not the deforestation data speaks to you, [the economic impact] is like another language and it’s a language that everybody speaks.” MAAP recently analyzed the environmental and economic impact in three local communities in the Madre Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon, where gold mining has torn apart the rainforest and created a public health crisis for residents. The project was carried out using the…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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