Submitted by Harry Park
Mining as a pillar of Nevada’s economy is a complex issue. It has significantly influenced Nevada’s economic growth since the nineteenth century. Also, Nevada’s mines have become crucial to the nation’s economy in recent years, largely due to the growing demand for electric vehicles requiring lithium in their batteries. All the same, the environmental damage caused by mining cannot be ignored.
With its desert climate, Nevada is the driest state in the US. Water has become a coveted global resource, and Nevada is no exception. Mining operations in Nevada are notorious for using large amounts of water. In 2015, the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities estimated that mining operations used 7% of the state’s water supply.
Not only do mining operations consume tons of water, they also pollute already existing bodies of water. A case in point is the Carlin Trend, a region in northern Nevada filled with gold deposits. The use of cyanide in gold mining has polluted various bodies of water in the Carlin Trend.
Mining not only pollutes water but also harms the ecosphere. This is noticeable in Nevada, where open-pit mining is a common practice involving carving out large chunks of land in construction. In the process, forests and other natural biomes suffer destruction.
Air quality, too, deteriorates due to mining. Recently, air quality has become an especially critical issue due to the increased frequency of wildfires and overall rising temperatures from climate change. Mining further pollutes the air by releasing toxic chemicals into the air. According to the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection, “mining activities release substantial amounts of particulate matter and hazardous pollutants into the air.” These toxic chemicals can increase people’s risk of respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis.
Advocates for mining argue that the short-term economic gains outweigh the long-term consequences. While mining is essential to Nevada’s economy, the toll mining takes on the environment cannot be ignored in the name of economic progress. This pursuit of minerals endangers people’s lives. Reforms to mining practices, like trying to conserve water and minimize the usage of toxic chemicals, could allow mining to continue while saving lives and the environment. It would take a lot of time and money, but it would be worth it in the end.
Mining companies need to be held accountable for their own mistakes. They currently rely on government grants, which come from taxpayers’ dollars. Mining companies then use this money to clean up chemical spills and water leaks or open more mines. With the way things are, people are paying out of their pockets to clean up the environment around them, even though it is not their fault. It is about time that mining companies stop draining the people of Nevada of their money and well-being.
Harry Park is freshman at the Davidson Academy. This article is for an English project trying to raise about how mining affects the environment.
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