Land & Water Use

Habitat destruction for many species due to deforestation and topography changes

Improved water quality as minerals are removed from mountaintops

Enhanced soil fertility from redistributed nutrient-rich mountaintop soils

Increased carbon sequestration because of exposed rock surfaces

Contamination of water supplies

Improved water quality

Increased availability of water resources

Creation of new water sources

Subsurface mining, which has minimal surface impact compared to other methods.

In situ leach mining, which involves less land disturbance as it extracts minerals from boreholes.

Mountaintop removal mining, which alters large areas and creates isolated patches of habitat.

Placer mining, which disturbs river bottoms but is often localized and temporary.

Imposing a carbon tax on mining companies based on their fossil fuel usage.

Offering subsidies for the development of less invasive surface mining techniques.

Creating wildlife corridors to offset habitat fragmentation caused by mining activities.

Mandating the use of lined tailings ponds to prevent leaching of toxic substances into groundwater.

Since lower trophic levels reproduce quickly diluting contamination levels

As heavy metals are used as nutrients by organisms at higher trophic levels

Because heavy metals naturally occur at higher concentrations at these levels

Because it results in increased concentration as predators consume contaminated prey

Air pollution through release of sulfur dioxide contributing significantly to acid rain formation far from the extraction site.

Land degradation primarily due to deforestation caused by clearing large tracts for open-pit mines rather than chemical use itself.

Water systems contamination by heavy metals and cyanide compounds potentially leading to biomagnification in trophic levels.

Thermal pollution from increased machine activity elevating temperatures in adjacent habitats altering species distributions accordingly.

Reduction in biodiversity owing to habitat destruction caused by extractive practices

Potential international conflict over scarce resources

Widespread adoption of renewable energy technology requiring those elements

Displacement of local communities near mines due to expansion efforts

Algal bloom

Acid mine drainage

Oil spillage

Thermal pollution

Increase in land stability due to excavation techniques

Increased soil fertility due to mineral deposition

Reduction in water usage due to improved technology

Air pollution from the release of toxic gases

Nitrous oxide

Methane

Sulfuric acid

Ozone