Colombia to introduce new Gold mining code
Nearly 40% of the 65 tonnes of gold produced in Colombia last year were extracted from unlicensed mines.
South America's Colombia has decided to use more eco friendly ways to extract gold and to formalize the status of traditional miners who operate without licenses.
Colombia is a relatively large producer of gold on the global scale, but it has an out-sized role in the amount of pollution it produces.
The government hopes that its new mining code, which will be submitted for congressional approval early this year, will do the trick. Nearly 40% of the 65 tonnes of gold produced last year were extracted from unlicensed mines.
Unlicensed miners chafe at being dubbed illegal. They pay royalties on all their production, they say. They complain that security forces mistake them for the criminals who are increasingly turning to gold mining to finance their illicit activities.
Colombia ranks among the world’s top 15 producers. About half of its production is extracted by small-scale miners and illegal prospectors — who often leave behind a ravaged and badly polluted landscape.
One of the biggest problems is mercury. Many miners use the toxic metal to separate the gold from the ore in which it’s found.
A recent United Nations report found that Colombian mining is the world’s largest mercury polluter, per capita.
But these days, the country is also ground zero for a new movement to clean up small-scale mining. It’s called Oro Verde, or Green Gold.
Sumber : Google
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