Not all that is gold, glitters - a report on the dark side of the precious metal

Laura Sevier

17th April, 2008

The world’s favourite precious metal is hiding a dirty little secret. Laura Sevier reports on the truth behind the glitter, and asks whether gold can ever be green

When you think of gold‚ what do you see? A bling ring or gold bars in the bank? Perhaps a golden opportunity or a golden future? Gold has long enjoyed a reputation as the most precious and valuable of metals‚ a symbol of wealth‚ status – marital and financial – and general good fortune. Yet behind its golden image lies a murky past. This non-essential‚ very expensive‚ luxury product is 100 per cent dependent on one of the most socially and environmentally exploitative industries in the world.

‘I would say‚ per unit of output‚ that gold mining may well be the most destructive industry‚’ says Payal Sampay‚ a director of the NoDirtyGold campaign launched by Oxfam. ‘To make one 0.33oz wedding ring generates on average 20 tonnes of mine wastes. Gold mining today has a giant ecological footprint.’

A dirty business

Two-thirds of newly mined gold is extracted from immense open-pit mines‚ some of which can even be seen from outer space. Destructive and dangerous‚ these mines are an environmental disaster. They pollute the air‚ earth and water‚ and leave in their wake huge piles of waste rock (some of them the...

 

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