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Writer's pictureEngineering Pivot
Jul 6, 20245 min read

How Mining Causes Environmental Concerns and Child Labor and How to Stop it

By Ajitesh Sharma 



 

In the ever-expanding world, minerals and ores are the most important resources now. Everything from highly sophisticated rockets to a simple raw battery needs at least 2 ores. Because of this, many countries that have rich mining fields use free resources like native and foreign children to mine these veins of metals. These mining operations are often extensive and dangerous and can often harm the environment as well. Mining is a disastrous job that can often lead to death. Most full-grown adults can’t even fit their torso into the opening. This is where children come in. Since children are way smaller, they can fit into smaller openings and achieve whatever goal the adult wants. Obviously, there might be some downsides with this, like the child isn’t strong enough to mine the metal or even pick up the pickaxe but unfortunately, most of them don’t have a choice. Along with the physical needs of it, mining is one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet, with the chance of your whole shaft collapsing with even the slightest spark.These collapses are often lethal; drowning is common, since lots of mines are positioned near huge bodies of water hence leading to flooding and eventually drowning since they can’t escape. Rocks and pebbles can also deal a lethal blow to miners because medical aid and communication are very scarce in the mining areas due to them being deep in the Earth’s crust.

 

Poisonous gases don’t help either. Gases like carbon monoxides and methane (which if near fire can explode the whole shaft) are only some of the toxic gases found in coal veins that can sometimes kill people in a few minutes depending on potency. These gases are invisible and sometimes even odorless, and once you’ve inhaled them, you can’t escape the fatigue and disease they give you. Along with this you’re stuck with the gas source with the closest way to get to the surface being a 15-minute elevator ride. Most of these shafts are also unkept and unclean. Animals like bats or venomous spiders roam freely across children with immune systems barely working. The tools that these children also use are pitiable. They’re very dull from former use and have no grip; this can lead to these pickaxes hitting the user and oftentimes fatally killing them. These children don’t get the option to opt out of this; most of these children are either orphans, homeless, or sometimes even the bread maker of their house. They shove these children into a corner where they can’t escape with malicious contracts and false claims, and often these children don’t even have a choice since they still must feed themselves or their family.. 


Another way of gathering Children is by Child trafficking. Child trafficking globally is increasing at an alarming rate, and it helps child labor for mining blossom since with more employees, more money. Child trafficking is basically the illegal and non consensual movement and use of a child for malicious intent. These children get kidnapped from various public settings and sometimes even their doorstep and then get exploited in various unspeakable activities. The kidnappers then use the money as profit and keep the child in an infinite loop of misery until they die a horrible death. Most people do not notice these conventions either since it is not their “business” to deal with these things or they don’t realize that a child is being trafficked or misused.  These children are the future civilized workforce for our planet and technically the observable universe! You cannot let them just live their life out in someone’s basement!  


Along with stealing and using children mining can also cause environmental concerns. Land erosion is one of the biggest concerns it causes. Because of mining into the Earth, erosion on the surface can happen and sinkholes can be made, which may cause the surrounding life and forestry to die. This doubles down on inflation as well, since with fewer and fewer natural resources left on the planet, the price of copper may decrease, but the price of wood or other natural harbors may increase.  


Most mining options also use water to dig through the rocks and erode them to be gathered. Since that water is already dirty from mineral dust and particles, it can’t be of use to any wildlife or to us humans hence wasting the water from proper use. The water can also bond with the poisonous gases which could damage the plant life around it. Additionally, this water could be acidic depending on what material the water was hanging out near. This acidic taste could carry on when it evaporates and causes acid rain. Most acid rain is not harmful to humans, but it is very harmful to plants and their leaves and sensitive aquatic animals. 


Poisonous gas can also leak towards the surface, and this can be bad in two main ways. First, it’s poisonous gas. It’s not great for the environment to get too much off since it can make humans, wildlife, and plants sick. Depending on the gas it could also decompose some materials like wood or in severe cases metal. While these gases leak towards the surface, they can also help cause a climate crisis. Methane, a gas from coal mining holds 11% and rising total of greenhouse gases. Other than methane, gases can sometimes mix to create more potent and heat “blanket” gases which can continue to conduct more heat for a longer duration as well.  So, what can you do to stop this, or at least slow down the course of malpractice of mining? Mining isn’t the problem; there must be a way to get ores and metals, but it’s the ways that matter the most.  Child labor is a horror that no child, the future building blocks of the planet, should experience.  

If anything is suspicious to you, call this number 1-888-373-7888 or text BeFree (233733).  

See something, say something!  


Along with this, you can also learn signs that a child is being trafficked by going to www.unicefusa.org. 

You could also plan to protest such companies and vote for anti-child trafficking candidates. Environmental concerns could also be addressed the same way, voting for pro-environment, or reporting illegal mining practices to proper authorities is a terrific way to accomplish this.  Spreading the word is also key, the more people that know, the more change can be provided.  Boycotting such companies that use bad mining practices is possible but kind of hard, since metals are pretty “general use” and most of them are not branded.  You could also call action on your governments and ask them to be stricter about mining concerns as well as child trafficking concerns. If enough attention is gathered to this problem, maybe some true and action will be mad.  Of course, these solutions would be a bit expensive and needy, but which is more valuable?  

The earth and its inhabitants or some iron?  

 

Works Cited: (MLA) 





 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 


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