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At the Annual Conference of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) in February 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona/USA, the debate on the term “Social Licence to Operate” was a focus. The title of the keynote session of the annual conference was: “The Executive’s Role in Tailings Management: Preserving our Social Licence to Operate”.
In view of the recent accidents at mine tailings dams, the mining industry itself must revisit its “Social Licence to Operate” or, in other words, its responsibility as an operator and public acceptance of its business. A recent tailings dam breach occurred in January 2019 near the Brazilian city of Brumadinho. The massive tailings spill from the Córrego do Feijão iron ore open-cast mine claimed more than 270 victims, polluting the downstream environment with a sludge volume of almost 12 Mm3. Extensive examination of this disaster, along with many similar incidents in recent history, made clear that mining companies must urgently address the safe operation of tailings ponds at the top executive levels. Those responsible must recognize that “business as usual” is no longer an option. Simply relying on a government issued mining permit covers the technical aspects of mining and processing no longer suffices, as the mine operator must consider a wider range of stakeholder inputs and concerns to obtain social licence.
This paper examines how mines can operate sustainably in the broadest sense and which efforts are required to ensure public acceptance throughout the mine life cycle. Results show that socially responsible operation requires that mining processes must be fully disclosed, including the results of long-term geomonitoring.
At the Annual Conference of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) in February 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona, the debate on the term "social license to operate" was a focus. The title of the keynote session of the annual conference was: "The Executive's Role in Tailings Manage-ment: Preserving our Social License to Operate”.
In view of the recent accidents at mine tailings dams, the mining industry itself must revisit its "social license to operate" or, in other words, its responsibility as an operator and public ac-ceptance of its business. A recent tailings dam breach occurred in January 2019 near the Brazilian city of Brumadinho. The massive tailings spill from the Córrego do Feijão iron ore open-cast mine claimed more than 270 victims, polluting the downstream environment with a sludge volume of almost 12 million cubic meters. Extensive examination of this disaster, along with many similar incidents in recent history, made clear that mining companies must urgently address the safe operation of tailings ponds at the top executive levels. Those responsible must recognize that "business as usual" is no longer an option. Simply relying on a government issued mining permit covers the technical aspects of mining and processing no longer suffices, as the mine operator must consider a wider range of stakeholder inputs and concerns to obtain social license.
This paper examines how mines can operate sustainably in the broadest sense and which efforts are required to ensure public acceptance throughout the mine life cycle. Results show that so-cially responsible operation requires that mining processes must be fully disclosed, including the results of long-term geomonitoring.
Aufgrund der jüngsten Ankündigung des chinesischen Präsidenten Xi Jinping, bis 2060 klimaneutral zu werden, steht China vor einem großen Umbruch. In China ist die Stromerzeugung der größte Kohleverbraucher und Kohle bleibt auch zukünftig eine wichtige Energiequelle. Im bevorstehenden Zeitalter der erneuerbaren Energien und des Klimaschutzes hat auch der Übergang zu einem nachhaltigeren Energieversorgungssystem begonnen. Daher hat der Kohlebergbau in China derzeit eine Phase der Stagnation erreicht. Dies impliziert eine beschleunigte Rolle des Nachbergbaus und beinhaltet das integrierte Verständnis des bergbaulichen Lebenszyklus und der berücksichtigten Auswirkungen. Die wichtigsten Herausforderungen sind der Grubenwasseranstieg, langfristige und ewige ökologische Aufgaben, das Geomonitoring und Markscheidewesen sowie die Reaktivierung und Transition von Brachflächen. Das Forschungszentrum Nachbergbau (FZN) an der Technischen Hochschule Georg Agricola (THGA) in Bochum nutzt dabei sein Wissen sowie umfangreiche Erfahrungen in verschiedenen Disziplinen. Eine integrierte nachbergbauliche Analyse des Bergbaulands China in Technologie, Politik und Wirtschaft hat ergeben, dass sich der Prozess dort noch in der Entwicklung befindet. Angesichts der Breite der damit verbundenen interdisziplinären Aufgaben sind geeignete Lösungen und Empfehlungen erforderlich. Das langjährige umfassende Fachwissen und die Erfahrung des FZN können als Vorbild für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung des Nachbergbaus in China eingesetzt werden.
