We make logging companies “replant forests” (yes it’s not at all the same as the old growth but it’s something). Why do we let mining companies completely rape the land and replace nothing? It doesn’t even look like they backfill with the unused debris, much less restore topsoil or plant anything.
Why do we let mining companies completely rape the land and replace nothing?
The government spend billions to brainwash people and turn them complicit. Check out the “germany rearming” threads to see how even on lemmy plenty of people are happy with the raping.
Where I live they are required to rehabilitate the land afterwards, but usually that’s after the mine has been running for like 30+ years and by the time they shut down, they do some weird financial trickery and declare bankruptcy despite having made millions in profits the previous decades and then they just walk away and tax payers need to clean up.
Here in the UK I know of lots of old mines and quarries that, because the ground is inherently unstable once the mining has finished, the land gets reclaimed as a nature reserve. Think nice walks, wildflowers, native trees, marshlands etc. A lot of effort goes into making habitats for insects, birds and animals.
Whether or not it is all paid for by the mining companies, I don’t know.
That’s how we do it here in the US if they’re operating near an urban area. My understanding is that they are required by law to do that in exchange for the permits or something.
Only if the city cares. I’m in a capital city where strip mining occurs within city limits, and they just leave acid pools behind because the thick forests keep people from noticing it
We make logging companies “replant forests” (yes it’s not at all the same as the old growth but it’s something). Why do we let mining companies completely rape the land and replace nothing? It doesn’t even look like they backfill with the unused debris, much less restore topsoil or plant anything.
The government spend billions to brainwash people and turn them complicit. Check out the “germany rearming” threads to see how even on lemmy plenty of people are happy with the raping.
There are time lapses of this machines movement from satellite / aerial photography and you will see that the soil becomes green again.
Wait until you hear about mercury contamination from gold mining practices
Where I live they are required to rehabilitate the land afterwards, but usually that’s after the mine has been running for like 30+ years and by the time they shut down, they do some weird financial trickery and declare bankruptcy despite having made millions in profits the previous decades and then they just walk away and tax payers need to clean up.
Honestly, that’s on the government for not either levying the industry, or making them set up a fund to pay for that.
Tbh there is a lot done do make the Land usable once the mining process is through
Check out what they did/are doing with the Eden Project and it’s successors.
https://www.edenproject.com/mission/origins
Here in the UK I know of lots of old mines and quarries that, because the ground is inherently unstable once the mining has finished, the land gets reclaimed as a nature reserve. Think nice walks, wildflowers, native trees, marshlands etc. A lot of effort goes into making habitats for insects, birds and animals.
Whether or not it is all paid for by the mining companies, I don’t know.
That’s how we do it here in the US if they’re operating near an urban area. My understanding is that they are required by law to do that in exchange for the permits or something.
Only if the city cares. I’m in a capital city where strip mining occurs within city limits, and they just leave acid pools behind because the thick forests keep people from noticing it
It isn’t. I guarantee it.