ASKED to weigh in on the renewed interest in mining because of the huge demand for energy transition metals, the anti-mining group Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) admitted the issue is quite “tricky.”
“While we recognize the need to transition energy systems in the context of climate change, and this, in turn, requires the extraction of energy transition minerals, we must proceed with caution as mining has harmful environmental consequences and negative impacts on communities,” Jaybee Garganera, national coordinator of ATM, said.
Mining for green metals, according to Garganera, should not be a reason to open up more mines in the Philippines to simply respond to the growing energy demand, especially of developed countries and the Asian giant economies such as China and India.
“Mining more areas poses risks to the environment. These documented impacts include land destruction, subsidence and water loss, soil pollution, water pollution, siltation, loss of flora and fauna and biodiversity, food insecurity, and dislocation of Indigenous People from ancestral land and traditional livelihoods,” Garganera said.
Human rights, water, and land-use conflicts
MINING particularly requires huge amounts of water, which in turn affects water sources and competes with local communities for water use. Also, especially during this time of rampant red-tagging, mining impacts greatly on the security of environmental defenders, he explained. “Global Witness reports the Philippines as the most dangerous place in Asia for environmentalists as it has recorded 11 killings for this year alone. Mining-affected communities may also lose their livelihoods as mining affects agriculture and forestry.
Meanwhile, even for those working in the mines, violations of labor laws by mining companies also happen, he said.
“An Amnesty International report on nickel mining in Dinagat Islands revealed that workers were being hired without contracts, that they receive delayed payment of wages and no payment for compulsory employee benefits. It is also worth noting that the Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of communities is also compromised given the propensity of mining corporations to circumvent FPIC processes and to use deceit to get the consent of indigenous groups,” he said.
Wrong priority?
ACCORDING to Garganera, prudence should be exercised before allowing more mines to operate.
“We must prioritize a robust and expanded cost-benefit analysis (CBA) applicable for directly affected host communities, the local governments, and the nation as a whole. And this CBA must factor in the environmental, social, cultural and human-rights cost of mining,” he said.
In Garganera’s view, even if we use econometrics alone, it doesn’t make sense that we are prioritizing an industry that merely contributes 1 percent of the GDP but threatens the other combined 14-17 percent of GDP from agriculture, forestry and tourism.
“Any policy in mining should adequately address the question: “Who benefits from this, both during the mine life and the generation after the mine is closed down?”
Just energy transition
IN transitioning to renewable energy, Garganera said it is also important that the principles of just energy transition or JET be adopted.
“The United Nations Development Program, through the Alliance of Just Energy Transition, outlined eight core principles of a just energy transformation. These are: (1) be guided by science and realize the urgency of cutting emissions; (2) be fair and consider every group’s needs, especially the most effective though least responsible; (3) be sustainable, ambitious and holistic in limiting global temperature increases; (4) be comprehensive and where strategies developed nationally are co-designed locally; (5) observe social dialogue; (6) be anchored in climate justice and work toward supporting local jobs and communities and achieving well-being; (7) recognize energy access as being part of the larger goals of sustainable development, economic growth, etc.; and (8) uphold community and indigenous peoples’ rights in pursuing investments, including compensation and meaningful participation for stakeholders.
“By upholding these principles, the transition to clean energy technologies is ensured at the same time that the welfare of communities, workers and the environment is prioritized,” he said.
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