Chinese gymnastics champion “Zhou Yaqin” has been a hit on social media after the young athlete learned for the first time the medal-biting move that winners on the podium are known for.
“Zhou” noticed the gold medalist biting her medal and immediately imitated her in a cute and spontaneous way, which attracted the Olympic audience, but at the same time brought back the story of the manufacture of Olympic medals from precious metals and the impact of mining on the environment.
الميداليات الأوليمبية
The Story of Olympic Medals
The traditional Olympic medal system of gold, silver and bronze began during the 1904 Games. The gold medals were made of pure gold, due to its low price before World War I, and this tradition continued until the 1920 Olympics.
الميداليات الأوليمبية
The gold medal was then made of silver plated with a layer of gold, consisting of 92.5% silver with at least 6 grams of gold. The reason for this was related to the cost and the soft nature of gold, which makes it easier to bend or damage compared to silver, and not for reasons related to the environment or exploitation of natural resources.
الميداليات الأوليمبية
This trend continued until the organizers of the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics used recycled materials to produce medals, and in order to fulfill Paris's desire to make the 2024 Olympics the most sustainable ever, the organizers adopted innovative methods to reduce the environmental impact.
These methods included medals made from 100% recycled gold and silver. The bronze medals are made of copper, tin and zinc alloys reused from the remains of French coin production.
With Paris successfully reducing the environmental impact of the 987 gold, silver and bronze medals won by competitors during the competition, we may have to take this opportunity to highlight the mining industry, which has over time turned into a black market that causes negative impacts, most notably environmental damage.
الميداليات الأوليمبية
Mining and Environmental Impacts
Mining operations often leave significant environmental impacts within the extraction areas and surrounding areas, as well as wider impacts on the health of the planet in general, which we will examine in several points.
Impact of mining on the land
The main problem associated with mining projects is the change in natural lands and the original environment, as a result of open-pit mining, the development of surrounding infrastructure, the establishment of camps to provide accommodation for miners, as well as railways and roads needed to transport mined materials; which may lead to further human-induced disturbances of local ecosystems. In addition, exploration and extraction operations may lead to the deforestation of all or parts of forests, which threatens ecosystems and biodiversity.
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Greenhouse gas emissions
Mining consumes a large amount of electricity generated by fossil fuel power plants, which means increased greenhouse gas emissions, pressure on environmental resources, and increased air pollution. The destruction of vegetation and soil during extraction also releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses.
According to the "Visual Capitalist" website, based on data from the World Gold Council, the total annual emissions from gold mining are estimated at about 126.4 million tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to burning about 300 million barrels of oil. Gold mining is an energy-intensive process, with electricity being the largest source of emissions, producing around 54 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, or 43% of total carbon emissions from global gold mining.
Using water in mining
Mining and mineral processing operations often have high water impacts, with many stages requiring the use of water.
For example, dust mitigation, removal of soluble particles, screening and separation processes, and construction of tailings dams for waste management. Although some stages, such as mineral separation, can reuse water, other stages such as spraying to remove airborne dust, lead to water contamination, preventing recycling.
High water consumption by mining operations in remote communities can also make it difficult for local people to access fresh, uncontaminated water supplies, causing water stress.
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Mining pollution
According to “Earth.org” website, there are many documented cases of environmental pollution caused by mining operations, which are often caused by the leakage of mining waste, which is the material separated and left after extracting minerals and other economically valuable materials, or that is stored in large tailings dams; because it may be radioactive, toxic or acidic.
As a result of strict international regulations, pollution from mining has been greatly reduced, but it remains a problem in many developing countries, where illegal, small-scale mining operations using unsafe technology occur, and poor site management leads to environmental pollution in the region.
Impact on indigenous communities and miners
In addition to the environmental impacts on the land, there is the ethical impact of this industry, which is the damage to the ecosystem in indigenous communities.
As a result of the strict laws, gold mining has declined in some areas, and companies have turned to venturing into new, remote areas beyond the reach of the law, with the result that healthy ecosystems and indigenous communities whose livelihoods are linked to the health of these areas are damaged.
In addition to the health and safety issue for miners, mining has always been a dangerous profession. According to the “Euronews” website, there were 81 deaths linked to the mining industry in 2018, and as resources become scarce, companies begin to mine deeper into the earth's layers, increasing the risk of collapse and inhalation of toxic chemicals by miners.
Sustainable Gold Future
With the increase in ethical and environmental concerns in the mining industry, many initiatives have emerged seeking to combat these issues. Recently, the term “sustainable gold” has become widespread. It carries several concepts or definitions depending on the approach of each company; as follows:
First: Environmentally friendly gold
That is, gold that is extracted in a way that ensures minimal impact on the land and the environment. For example, no toxic chemicals are used during the mining process, clean energy and low-quality salt water are used, and less aggressive technologies are used on the environment by consuming less land, emitting fewer pollutants, reducing the toxicity of waste, and improving the efficiency of the mining process through recycling. Sometimes programs are put in place to ensure that the original ecosystem is restored to what it was before extraction. Making mining processes more sustainable will certainly increase efficiency and reduce costs.
Second: Recycled gold
It is gold that has been used before, and is being repurposed and reshaped into new pieces of jewelry instead of digging the ground for more new gold. Brands that use recycled materials tend to take this gold from old jewelry, scrap metal, or from the by-products of some industrial products.
صناعة التعدين
Comparison of carbon emissions from recycled gold and freshly mined gold:
Recycled gold is not free from carbon footprint; before the transportation and manufacturing stages, it must go through the smelting, processing and refining stages. These processes consume a lot of energy, but they are nothing compared to the carbon emissions from gold mining and production.
As mentioned earlier, the total annual emissions from gold mining are estimated at 126.4 million tons of carbon dioxide. Recycled gold produces 4,200 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
When comparing one gram of gold in both cases, we will find that one gram of newly mined gold generates 36.4 thousand grams of carbon emissions. One gram of recycled gold generates only 53 grams. In other words, the carbon dioxide emitted into the air is reduced by 686 times or by 99%, according to the “Lebrusan studio” website.
The carbon footprint of each piece of jewelry, about 95% of which comes from the extraction and production of the metal, because the largest percentage of carbon emissions in the gold industry comes from mining and processing.
Recycled gold is much more environmentally friendly and less harmful, but the problem facing brands is how to source recycled gold. As recycled gold often comes from multiple sources, it can be difficult to trace the supply chain, so sometimes “dirty gold” or gold that is unethically sourced or from conflict zones can get in. This is something to consider and make sure of the source.
Third: Ethical gold
The concept of ethical gold does not stop at environmental “sustainability”, but extends to long-term social and economic sustainability, which is no less important than the needs of the planet. We cannot ignore the 15 to 20 million artisanal miners around the world who depend on mining as a source of income.
Hence the concept of ethical gold, or newly mined gold, but from small-scale artisanal mining companies. According to the concept of “responsible artisanal mining”, gold is produced in accordance with international best practices, environmental and social standards and using legal processes. Therefore, ethical gold means ensuring fair wages, safe working conditions, health care and the rejection of child labor, and supply chains are transparent.
In addition to the humanitarian benefits, some small-scale artisanal mines are also champions of environmental sustainability. Gold is extracted in an environmentally friendly way, without using any pollutants, and resources are recycled, significantly reducing carbon emissions compared to most other gold mining operations.
Gold has a long history as a precious metal due to its rarity and durability. However, traditional gold mining is an environmentally stressful process and a major contributor to increased emissions into the atmosphere. Therefore, green infrastructure, renewable energy, and clean mining technologies with strict environmental regulations must be created to aid the mining industry to pave the way for a sustainable future.
