Sustainability in the mine life cycle

As the earth's population grows, the pressure on natural resources becomes acute. Mining, once a foundation of human society is now often perceived negatively, despite the true but worn adage "if it cannot be grown, it has to be mined". 'Sustainable mining" now proliferates as a buzz-word, often incorrectly applied. Yet by its very nature, mining is rarely 'sustainable' but rather a finite process, the consumption of a resource. Despite this, aspects of mining can prove to be sustainable for example the exploitation of renewable minerals such as guano or evaporite salts. But sustainability is so much more than renewable materials. It incorporates a change in the philosophy and practices in mineral exploration and exploitation, it requires better education of generations to develop sustainable skills in society to continue mining and it seeks to minimize environmental and social disturbance whilst maximizing resource recovery. Another area where a sustainable philosophy is important is with closure of mines, aftercare of mining-dependent societies and potentially reuse of abandoned mines. Sustainability can cover a lot more in terms of development of alternative resources, appropriate development of infrastructure, improvement in land use, enrichment of society and in the preservation or restoration of the environment.