Goethe, Faust 1: "Toward gold throng all/To gold cling all/Yes, all! Alas, we poor!" (transl. George Madison Priest).
But do not let the voracious extractors of Earth resources to despoil Nature.
But do not let the voracious extractors of Earth resources to despoil Nature.
4
This article just drove up the price of gold another $100.
6
A brave and noble action, by Kowalski. Unfortunately, among US corporate culture, these traits are rarer than diamonds, and we seem to only have a handful of politicians with sufficient integrity to say "no" to these greed mutants.
5
"I love pollution. Mine away!" -NYTimes readers with a stake in the mining industry
5
Want to save the environment?
Stop coating it with asphalt and lawn chemicals, which contain a host of poisons that pollute air, water and foodstuffs.
See to your own house instead of demonizing luxuries which will only raise their rarity and price and make the rich richer and more smug than ever before.
Stop coating it with asphalt and lawn chemicals, which contain a host of poisons that pollute air, water and foodstuffs.
See to your own house instead of demonizing luxuries which will only raise their rarity and price and make the rich richer and more smug than ever before.
8
It is time to end the wearing of gold jewelry. Gold, silver, platinum and palladium are not needed to make a ring "look" like real "gold" or platinum. In order to end the abuse of diminishing land and water, we ought to simply stop wearing all precious metals and cease the buying of any in new jewelry. Few people are aware, but once, aluminum was so rare and hard to make that it was as precious or more so than the heavy metals! It is now cheap and so no longer considered "precious", But in fact, all jewelry is based upon the perception of wearer and viewer. If people cease wearing gold, it's price will fall and mines like the Pebble will cease to be built.
I always remember "The Diamond Necklace", about the terrible confusion and impoverishment caused by such jewelry.
If people have been unable to tell the difference between real and fake diamonds, outside of a few specialists, why bother with them?
Gold and Silver were once valuable as money but, as they no longer are used even fore that, it seems it is time to retire them to the museums as we have done(in the West anyway) with elephant and other animal ivory,(Hippopotamus tusks are also used for ivory).
Leave your gold in the closet and buy cheap, easily replaced fakes. You may save entire species of salmon and numerous other animals and end the mindless cultural fad in the West, at least, for jewelry made of precious metals.
I always remember "The Diamond Necklace", about the terrible confusion and impoverishment caused by such jewelry.
If people have been unable to tell the difference between real and fake diamonds, outside of a few specialists, why bother with them?
Gold and Silver were once valuable as money but, as they no longer are used even fore that, it seems it is time to retire them to the museums as we have done(in the West anyway) with elephant and other animal ivory,(Hippopotamus tusks are also used for ivory).
Leave your gold in the closet and buy cheap, easily replaced fakes. You may save entire species of salmon and numerous other animals and end the mindless cultural fad in the West, at least, for jewelry made of precious metals.
7
Leave the emotion, the moment and the love in the closet and replace it with fake? Why not a iPhone or FitBit for engagement?
4
Although I agree that there are places on this Earth, including Bristol Bay, that should be left pristine for the short time remaining that man inhabits this planet, Goldfinger makes a very valid point. Nearly all the gold that has ever been mined is still above ground and trades around the world. It is simple minded to think there is a way to manage or enforce conflict free gold. If that is your goal, start with the Catholic Church and its exploits in South America.
Secondly, I need to point out that all of you reading this could not do so without metals. Look around you and delete everything in your view that is made of metal or requires metal to be manufactures or grown.
How does it feel to be sitting naked in the dirt.
Responsible, environmentally sound mining has to occur or we go back to the stone age.
Think about it.
Secondly, I need to point out that all of you reading this could not do so without metals. Look around you and delete everything in your view that is made of metal or requires metal to be manufactures or grown.
How does it feel to be sitting naked in the dirt.
Responsible, environmentally sound mining has to occur or we go back to the stone age.
Think about it.
10
I grew up in a once beautiful forest area in southwest New Mexico that was ravaged by open iron ore mining. As an adult, I saw the same wounds in Mexico and Peru for copper, gold and silver. Mining has become an impatient greedy business.
While it is possible to mine environmentally, greed takes over and we suffer tremendous losses of wildlife, forests, and--if Senator McCain gets his way--the loss of the San Carlos Apache sacred burial grounds that he wants to give to the Canadians for an open copper mine. Canadian mining companies are very good at spoiling lands they don't have to live around, since open mining seems to be their favorite way to get things done.
While it is possible to mine environmentally, greed takes over and we suffer tremendous losses of wildlife, forests, and--if Senator McCain gets his way--the loss of the San Carlos Apache sacred burial grounds that he wants to give to the Canadians for an open copper mine. Canadian mining companies are very good at spoiling lands they don't have to live around, since open mining seems to be their favorite way to get things done.
8
Another example of leftist conceit: that mankind can get the materials it needs for a modern lifestyle without digging them out of the ground.
An elitist member of the 1%, who made his money in an industry which essentially caters to frivolity, and who can afford to jet to AK -- perhaps in a private jet -- happily jettisons thousands -- probably tens of thousands -- of jobs, because he thinks mines are ugly.
He's right; they are. But they happen to be absolutely necessary, and economic ... er, gold mines. We can't run a society without metals. Those metals MUST come from the ground. The eco-extremists turn blind eyes to those mines "somewhere else", but passionately object to ALL extractive industries in the US, in wholly spurious grounds.
We simply cannot exist without "polluting". Every morning, every human being wakes up, goes to the WC (or wherever) and pollutes. Sitting at this computer -- built with materials dug from the ground -- I'm using power and polluting. The only question is how much we're willing to tolerate to live a modern lifestyle.
On balance, building a mine out in the middle of nowhere, where it will provide countless jobs for people, and, at worst, discommode a few fish, seems like a really good idea.
Once again, the left proves that if vigorously supports middle class jobs, until someone threatens to actually create them.
An elitist member of the 1%, who made his money in an industry which essentially caters to frivolity, and who can afford to jet to AK -- perhaps in a private jet -- happily jettisons thousands -- probably tens of thousands -- of jobs, because he thinks mines are ugly.
He's right; they are. But they happen to be absolutely necessary, and economic ... er, gold mines. We can't run a society without metals. Those metals MUST come from the ground. The eco-extremists turn blind eyes to those mines "somewhere else", but passionately object to ALL extractive industries in the US, in wholly spurious grounds.
We simply cannot exist without "polluting". Every morning, every human being wakes up, goes to the WC (or wherever) and pollutes. Sitting at this computer -- built with materials dug from the ground -- I'm using power and polluting. The only question is how much we're willing to tolerate to live a modern lifestyle.
On balance, building a mine out in the middle of nowhere, where it will provide countless jobs for people, and, at worst, discommode a few fish, seems like a really good idea.
Once again, the left proves that if vigorously supports middle class jobs, until someone threatens to actually create them.
7
Nuanced views always fail in the face of blind dogma and group-think.
I consider myself a lifelong environmentalist.
I walk that talk by eating vegetarian...less fishing if you stop eating fish out there, you know. I do not fly because jets are extremely destructive.
I speak against war because there is simply no other industry that even comes near the military weapons business in harming the world.
I speak out against religious proscription of birth control.
Meanwhile, the hypocrites engage in token recycling efforts and spray fur coats with toxic organic hydrocarbon chemicals contained in paint and think they're holy.
I consider myself a lifelong environmentalist.
I walk that talk by eating vegetarian...less fishing if you stop eating fish out there, you know. I do not fly because jets are extremely destructive.
I speak against war because there is simply no other industry that even comes near the military weapons business in harming the world.
I speak out against religious proscription of birth control.
Meanwhile, the hypocrites engage in token recycling efforts and spray fur coats with toxic organic hydrocarbon chemicals contained in paint and think they're holy.
8
The sock puppets with the fishing hole talking point (including 2 in the NYT picks!) are infuriatingly myopic. They are unwilling to see that Bristol bay is not a rich guy's fishing hole, it is a source of livelihood for thousands, food for millions, and subsistence for natives that we have robbed over the last 150 years. Wiping it out to steer profits to an entirely different group is theft on the grandest scale that people want to think went out of style with Andrew Jackson but here it is right now. And we can stop it!
13
So, we need to ban gold? Maybe ban salmon instead. That will give time for the stocks to replenish. Somehow I get the idea that the monkey 'climate change' will be making an appearance. Social footprint and responsible behavior? Of course, but only when you can retire on the seven figure pension people like Kowalski get. Why do you need to be rich to be an environmentalist?
5
Very enlightening. Thanks for this.
1
The scale of the Pebble Mine destruction is beyond hyperbole:
The 2000' deep open-pit would stretch over two miles long.
Of the many dams needed to hold back the toxic waste, the largest would be one of the largest in the world- dwarfing China's Three Gorges Dam.
These dams would, supposedly, hold back 10 billion tons of mining waste mixed with cyanide, sulfuric acid, arsenic and other toxic chemicals. That's 3000 pounds for every person on earth.
The mine site lies near the Lake Clark Fault, a 135-mile tectonic zone and only 125 miles from the site of the 1964 earthquake, the most powerful earthquake in North American history.
The EPA review of the project stated that construction would destroy dozens of miles of salmon streams and thousands of acres of wetlands. They concluded that the mine poses "catastrophic" to Bristol Bay.
Three of the original four companies backing the project have dropped out. Only Canada's Northern Dynasty remains.
The 2000' deep open-pit would stretch over two miles long.
Of the many dams needed to hold back the toxic waste, the largest would be one of the largest in the world- dwarfing China's Three Gorges Dam.
These dams would, supposedly, hold back 10 billion tons of mining waste mixed with cyanide, sulfuric acid, arsenic and other toxic chemicals. That's 3000 pounds for every person on earth.
The mine site lies near the Lake Clark Fault, a 135-mile tectonic zone and only 125 miles from the site of the 1964 earthquake, the most powerful earthquake in North American history.
The EPA review of the project stated that construction would destroy dozens of miles of salmon streams and thousands of acres of wetlands. They concluded that the mine poses "catastrophic" to Bristol Bay.
Three of the original four companies backing the project have dropped out. Only Canada's Northern Dynasty remains.
20
Rings pretty hollow when you know that diamonds are close to worthless. Only having value because of tight control of diamond supply and endless marketing campaigns appealing to the romantic emotions of young couples.
Let's be real, there is no socially redeeming value in a lot of what the jewelry industry does.
Let's be real, there is no socially redeeming value in a lot of what the jewelry industry does.
8
Name an industry and I'll tell you how it could be construed as harmful...start with the military. Then, there's government, religion, medicine, planes, trains, automobiles, mining, manufacturing, media, oil, gas, chemicals, plastics....
8
Worldwide pursuit of the "barbaric relic" (Keynes) which is gold is causing devastating environmental damage. Large mines destroy through their sheer size and their cyanide leaching processes. Small operations using mercury to amalgamate gold particles dump tons of the heavy metal into wilderness streams everywhere. The toll on fetal and infant development is horrific but goes largely unnoticed or regulated.
If the "the gold standard is holy" nutcases have their way the price of gold will skyrocket, leading to a devastating new worldwide gold rush as well as unimaginable economic damage.
Is it possible that mankind will wean itself from devotion to this stone age lust, or will rising gold prices cause ever greater efforts to obtain the increasingly difficult to extract metal? For the sake of millions of mentally and physically damaged children we can only hope.
If the "the gold standard is holy" nutcases have their way the price of gold will skyrocket, leading to a devastating new worldwide gold rush as well as unimaginable economic damage.
Is it possible that mankind will wean itself from devotion to this stone age lust, or will rising gold prices cause ever greater efforts to obtain the increasingly difficult to extract metal? For the sake of millions of mentally and physically damaged children we can only hope.
8
Want to end the Stone Age? Start with war and the weapons business...
5
The Bristol Bay mine project is an example of unbridled capitalism at work, where the profits are privatized and the costs are socialized. The companies that go into Bristol Bay to mine gold and copper, even if they significantly exceed current industry practice, will destroy miles of pristine streams, thousands of wilderness acres, and the resident sockeye salmon industry. (The fishery is based on the fact the sockeye salmon have been living in these waters for 4 to 6 million years.) The mining companies will destroy the source of fresh water for hundreds of thousands of square miles by contaminating the aquifer. The destruction will be felt throughout the Alaskan ecosystem. There will be no compensation for this destruction. There will be no compensation to the current generation of people who live in a sustainable manner off of this land and fishery. And more importantly, there will be no compensation for the generations of human who will not be able to benefit from the bounty of this land. All so a few thousand stockholders can gain a profit at the expense of all of the rest of us on the planet. There has to be a recognition that sometimes profit only exists because the costs are ignored. The Bristol Bay mining project is a clear cut case of the mining companies being allowed to ignore the true costs.
74
The mining law of 1872 gave the mining companies wide ranging rights, and is still in effect today.
If we have a discussion of changing this law to reflect our modern ideas of environmental protection I think this would be a good start.
If we have a discussion of changing this law to reflect our modern ideas of environmental protection I think this would be a good start.
16
Thank you Mr. Kowalski for addressing the journey to better corporate social responsibility. This must be a priority for all corporate leadership, including the jewelry and mining industries. As Philip commented below, there is substantial organization in the jewelry industry to create, monitor and support increasing supply chain integrity, including human and environmental issues. This effort requires leadership and compliance and Mr. Kowalski is providing the former. All jewelry companies must follow. The tipping point requires consumer recognition of, desire for... but also ratification through the purchase of... responsibly sourced products over "generics".
This is a journey for all industries. Gold is even more precious when people and the environment are respected to acquire it.
This is a journey for all industries. Gold is even more precious when people and the environment are respected to acquire it.
9
Thank you for having the good sense to value the salmon and the land over the gold, for it is truly the most precious, and this way, no one will ever be sad because they lost it.
5
This piece by Kowalski provides an important lesson, connecting the dots between impacts of extraction and benefits of a derived product.
However, he severely distorts the central issue around the Pebble mine. The principal resource there is copper. Yes, the operation would not likely be economic without the gold "by-product", but the real motivation is the potential 55 billion pounds of copper.
Why is this important? I suggest that copper seems much less frivolous than gold, and that desired changes in energy and other global infrastructure will require copper and other resources in large quantities. And significant copper ore concentrations are not common.
So yes, let us of course weigh all the costs and benefits of activities like mining (and farming, and building suburbs and cities), but let's try to avoid distorting reality while we do it.
However, he severely distorts the central issue around the Pebble mine. The principal resource there is copper. Yes, the operation would not likely be economic without the gold "by-product", but the real motivation is the potential 55 billion pounds of copper.
Why is this important? I suggest that copper seems much less frivolous than gold, and that desired changes in energy and other global infrastructure will require copper and other resources in large quantities. And significant copper ore concentrations are not common.
So yes, let us of course weigh all the costs and benefits of activities like mining (and farming, and building suburbs and cities), but let's try to avoid distorting reality while we do it.
13
To watch over our environment and wild lands, we must continue to push for urban renewal. Although gold mining will not be taking place in any urban area anytime soon, constant encroachment of wild areas happens 365 days a year. Only by pushing development into area previously built upon and than abandoned, can these wild areas be given additional relief.
7
Agreed. Use your grandmother's wedding ring. It's got sentimental value.
But I can't help but wonder how many commenters and readers here who are all rah-rah for preserving the environment are submitting their opinions on the latest must-have hipster gadget, for which they discarded another perfectly good and usable gadget, so as to be able to play Candy Crush an eyeblink faster, or because it came in a new neon colour and was a featherweight lighter and a nanometer slimmer. Whoopee. Meanwhile, in the Third World, the tiny fingers of small children are picking apart those gadgets to recycle the components - when they don't just go into landfills, that is; factories in China are belching smog into the air as near-slave labour cobbles together more gadgets; and the lands of Africa are being raped for the rare earths to produce yet more of your high-tech toys.
But hey, you drive a Prius, so it's all good.
But I can't help but wonder how many commenters and readers here who are all rah-rah for preserving the environment are submitting their opinions on the latest must-have hipster gadget, for which they discarded another perfectly good and usable gadget, so as to be able to play Candy Crush an eyeblink faster, or because it came in a new neon colour and was a featherweight lighter and a nanometer slimmer. Whoopee. Meanwhile, in the Third World, the tiny fingers of small children are picking apart those gadgets to recycle the components - when they don't just go into landfills, that is; factories in China are belching smog into the air as near-slave labour cobbles together more gadgets; and the lands of Africa are being raped for the rare earths to produce yet more of your high-tech toys.
But hey, you drive a Prius, so it's all good.
27
Somewhat amazingly no one has discussed the rape of the land being sponsored by the Discovery Channel in the "Gold Rush" series. Viewing one episode and seeing the land torn apart for a few pounds of gold and no word at all about reclamation - this is the Discovery Channel.
26
As one who has both visited the pristine Alaskan coast and whose business trades in physical gold (though no newly mined gold), this article was of huge in interest to me.
One thing, besides the currently anemic price of gold, should be noted: there are IMMENSE stocks of "junk" old bullion gold coins still "out there" on the open market. I'm not talking about Krugerrands or Maple Leafs, but rather old English sovereigns, French 20 francs, and the like.
These coins were minted in the hundreds of millions, and those coins which are not perfectly preserved, and are not rare dates (and thus have no collector value to numismatists), which is well over 90% of them, can be easily be bought up in immense quantities by the jewelry trade to be melted down and reused for jewelry or whatever else gold is used for these days. For the few hundred thousand ounces the new Frankenstein Mine might produce, the metal is out there right in front of the physical market's nose for the taking (or, rather buying).
There is no need to risk poisoning one of our last untouched natural wonders just because, in the words of the fictitious evil Gordon Gekko, "it's wreckable."
One thing, besides the currently anemic price of gold, should be noted: there are IMMENSE stocks of "junk" old bullion gold coins still "out there" on the open market. I'm not talking about Krugerrands or Maple Leafs, but rather old English sovereigns, French 20 francs, and the like.
These coins were minted in the hundreds of millions, and those coins which are not perfectly preserved, and are not rare dates (and thus have no collector value to numismatists), which is well over 90% of them, can be easily be bought up in immense quantities by the jewelry trade to be melted down and reused for jewelry or whatever else gold is used for these days. For the few hundred thousand ounces the new Frankenstein Mine might produce, the metal is out there right in front of the physical market's nose for the taking (or, rather buying).
There is no need to risk poisoning one of our last untouched natural wonders just because, in the words of the fictitious evil Gordon Gekko, "it's wreckable."
18
There is enough gold already mined for the next 5000 years - literally.
There is no reason other than greed to mine any more.
There is no reason other than greed to mine any more.
8
I've lived in Alaska--and it's true that there are places that should be able to survive untouched. However, any environmentalist worth his or her salt, can think of a reason to stop almost any project. And the danger in that, is that most of us would have no jobs, and our country would still be living in the stone ages--if radical, environmental activism existed since the founding of our country.
If environmentalism in its current form was around 200 years ago...here are all the things that never would have been built.
The Alaska Pipeline--and most others
The Hoover Dam--and most others
The Transcontinental Railroad--most others
The California Aqueduct system
The Interstate Highway System--and most major highways
The electric grid
The Golden Gate Bridge
Most airports
Zoos
Nuclear power plants
The Panama Canal
The Erie Canal
Thousands of factories and other structures
Most ports
The oil industry--including every refinery.
The chemical industry
The lumber Industry
The mining industry
We must be careful to strike a careful balance between protecting the environment--and supporting rabid reactionary environmentalism--which simply exists to stop or delay all progress and innovation. The problem these days???...most environmentalists want to prevent everything new from being built--a stance that is just not reasonable.
If environmentalism in its current form was around 200 years ago...here are all the things that never would have been built.
The Alaska Pipeline--and most others
The Hoover Dam--and most others
The Transcontinental Railroad--most others
The California Aqueduct system
The Interstate Highway System--and most major highways
The electric grid
The Golden Gate Bridge
Most airports
Zoos
Nuclear power plants
The Panama Canal
The Erie Canal
Thousands of factories and other structures
Most ports
The oil industry--including every refinery.
The chemical industry
The lumber Industry
The mining industry
We must be careful to strike a careful balance between protecting the environment--and supporting rabid reactionary environmentalism--which simply exists to stop or delay all progress and innovation. The problem these days???...most environmentalists want to prevent everything new from being built--a stance that is just not reasonable.
7
Get off your high horse for a moment and consider the following: 90 percent of the PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE are opposed to the Pebble mine. Should they not have some say in the matter?
6
An interesting article would be about the environmental and social costs of the Interstate Highway System. And about the Hoover Dam. Most of the things you mention that "would never have been built" were in fact accepted uncritically by the American people with no thought of the immense environmental and social harm which would result. And many were built or originated when the American population was much smaller, and no one could foresee that the passenger pigeon would become extinct.
5
@MikeH, typical lefty knee-jerk reaction. READ what I wrote. I am also opposed to this mine. My concern is a more general one--in that environmentalists would have stopped all the things on my list--or made them much more expensive. And we would not be a great nation today--if building things were as difficult then--as they are now.
1
I guess Kowalski is missing the most important aspect of the luxury goods business, whether furs, jewels, watches, or art. The value of these things depends entirely on perceived scarcity and implied labor input. The wealthy feel empowered by buying things extracted at great human cost, built by legions of low-wage artisans, or, say, representing the last mortal remains of exotic species. They do not care if, say, a few microns of titanium nitride is just as shiny and much more durable than gold; they want gold. They want natural diamonds and pearls just because these are prohibited to others.
Now, as far as reality intrudes, it is true that gold is, so far, unavoidable in both microelectronics and electrical contacts, and this is what, half of the usage (with a fair amount of recycling - a nasty offshore business itself). It is also true that a few billion people rely on gold, mostly as jewellery, for their personal wealth and it's stability versus uncertain currencies. This market can't go away.
No, the luxury jewellery business can't continue absent real and artificial scarcity of materials, and sadly, the implied human and environmental cost of production. The worse the process, the more value of the product.
Now, as far as reality intrudes, it is true that gold is, so far, unavoidable in both microelectronics and electrical contacts, and this is what, half of the usage (with a fair amount of recycling - a nasty offshore business itself). It is also true that a few billion people rely on gold, mostly as jewellery, for their personal wealth and it's stability versus uncertain currencies. This market can't go away.
No, the luxury jewellery business can't continue absent real and artificial scarcity of materials, and sadly, the implied human and environmental cost of production. The worse the process, the more value of the product.
5
People love nature and want to preserve the environment and that is wonderful and I'm for it. At the turn of century I made a decision never to fly again because airports are some of the worst polluters on Earth. If people did just that one things it would make a huge impact. These editorials, of which I've seen countless examples over the years, never promote such courses of action, though.
Gold, gems and other commodities are controlled by powerful global cartels.
Those cartels exist only because of rules imposed by governments to protect their interests. Without such rules, these commodities would be too cheap to bother mining in many cases.
Governments back the cartels, first and foremost...always remember that when begging for more government rules.
As I said below, if gold is a bad thing, the government needs to sell its gold. Short of that, I am going to question their regulatory motives.
Gold, gems and other commodities are controlled by powerful global cartels.
Those cartels exist only because of rules imposed by governments to protect their interests. Without such rules, these commodities would be too cheap to bother mining in many cases.
Governments back the cartels, first and foremost...always remember that when begging for more government rules.
As I said below, if gold is a bad thing, the government needs to sell its gold. Short of that, I am going to question their regulatory motives.
7
"The threat to Bristol Bay exemplifies a far larger issue: the enormous human and environmental cost of irresponsible mining."
Yes the threat to Bristol Bay does exemplify a far larger issue, but irresponsible mining is not it. The issue is the failure of the capitalist system to properly value and price the cost associated with many economic activities. This gold mining case is one of many. Where the cost of gold does not account for the human and environmental damage that the mining creates. Like Exxon ignoring the potential threat of their product in the persuit of profits.
And the capitalist system takes the damage one step further. As the most damaging projects are delayed by enviornmental and local opposition, the supply of gold is restricted, the price of gold increases, and damaging production becomes more profitable and moves to a part of the globe where opposition is less well organized.
Certainly with our technological capabilities we can design an economic system that properly allocates the true cost of an economic activity. This idea that unbridled capitalism is the only way to allocate resources has got to be replaced before we destroy our home.
Yes the threat to Bristol Bay does exemplify a far larger issue, but irresponsible mining is not it. The issue is the failure of the capitalist system to properly value and price the cost associated with many economic activities. This gold mining case is one of many. Where the cost of gold does not account for the human and environmental damage that the mining creates. Like Exxon ignoring the potential threat of their product in the persuit of profits.
And the capitalist system takes the damage one step further. As the most damaging projects are delayed by enviornmental and local opposition, the supply of gold is restricted, the price of gold increases, and damaging production becomes more profitable and moves to a part of the globe where opposition is less well organized.
Certainly with our technological capabilities we can design an economic system that properly allocates the true cost of an economic activity. This idea that unbridled capitalism is the only way to allocate resources has got to be replaced before we destroy our home.
32
Ask some people that came to America after the USSR collapsed into bankruptcy and the Iron Curtain was lifted what they think of the skills of communist central planners and what life under the soviet system was like.
Ask them about the quality of their environment.
Think long and hard about doing away with what was borne of freedom in America. Once it is gone, it will not return in this lifetime.
Ask them about the quality of their environment.
Think long and hard about doing away with what was borne of freedom in America. Once it is gone, it will not return in this lifetime.
5
Mr. Kowalski, thank you for your admirable stand against Pebble Mine. The Bristol Bay watershed and its ecosystem would be irreparably damaged by strip mining. There are magical places left in North America, and Bristol Bay is one of them.
18
How nice that we live in a world where we must rely on the conscience of the head of an industrial concern to protect the environment.
3
Isn't there enough gold and enough diamonds in storage already to satisfy world demand for a long time? These commodities are only valuable because a very small group of people control how much they dribble out into circulation. It's fake demand fueling fake prices.
44
Thank you for this article, Mr. Kowalski. Tiffany & Co. has been a leader in adopting policies that support better corporate social responsibility. I would hope that your company's stance would encourage others in the industry to adopt a similar posture of concern. I won't hold my breath, but at least you've set a benchmark for others.
20
As long a we put the "love of stuff" over the love of people and the environment, this type of mining will continue.
5
The man know nothing about mining.
The world needs mines, especially the poor countries, and for the West to plead environmentalism after they have theirs is hypocritical.
Mines can be made safe for both the miners and the environment.
The world needs mines, especially the poor countries, and for the West to plead environmentalism after they have theirs is hypocritical.
Mines can be made safe for both the miners and the environment.
6
"The man know nothing about mining?" He's the CEO of a jewelry company. Where does your expertise come from, niobium?
11
You must be a self-interested miner.
7
Mr. Niobium, you have raised a good question: Is it possible to mine without damaging the environment? (There would be an article, a study, a goal!)
1
I'm with OKCrow on this one. Congressional greed has repeatedly stopped the reform and or repeal of the intentionally deficient Mining Law of 1872 while we see time and again the taxpayer stuck with the bill for toxic site cleanup, which is really not even possible. Let's not forget the recent poisoning of the river in Colorado, for which the EPA somehow took responsibility, by old mine wastes that escaped their containment pond. So much for the public interest of our sold-out Congress.
112
the problem is that gold is always worth the price because of the artificiality of the gold market. And rarely is it possible to extract gold without degrading workers and the environment.
Get over gold
Get over gold
7
Gold is valuable because it is valued. If it weren't, it wouldn't be.
OK. That's tautological. We are essentially digging up the earth to produce a wildly valued ore that derives its price from the assumption of value rather than utility. Copper is really useful. So is oil. Gold is mostly beautiful.
The same goes with gemstones. We can produce in laboratories gems that are beautiful and perfect and cheap. But we destroy the environment to dig up the real thing, because it is real. Chemically the same; just valued because it is harder to find. Valuable because it is valued.
We do enough damage extracting things we genuinely need which provide genuine value. Of course we should protect tee environment digging up things we don't actually need.
OK. That's tautological. We are essentially digging up the earth to produce a wildly valued ore that derives its price from the assumption of value rather than utility. Copper is really useful. So is oil. Gold is mostly beautiful.
The same goes with gemstones. We can produce in laboratories gems that are beautiful and perfect and cheap. But we destroy the environment to dig up the real thing, because it is real. Chemically the same; just valued because it is harder to find. Valuable because it is valued.
We do enough damage extracting things we genuinely need which provide genuine value. Of course we should protect tee environment digging up things we don't actually need.
19
Government rules force people who produce chemically pure emerald or ruby crystals to adulterate them so that they can be identified as artificial. Cartel interests presumably pay for such government protection.
Governments themselves are some of the worst polluters on Earth. Simple fact that no one in the press seems to ever notice...
Governments themselves are some of the worst polluters on Earth. Simple fact that no one in the press seems to ever notice...
8
@"The...Forest Stewardship Council...counts hundreds of environmental groups, industry representatives and labor organizations among its members and has promoted sustainable forestry management for more than 20 years, offers a credible model."
@"We’ve heard the message from customers. Now brand owners and jewelry retailers must come together to establish a certification system that will assure responsible behavior." (I would add precious-metals dealers and traders.)
It would be so much better, and in the long run more efficacious, if those directly or indirectly dependent on natural resources took responsibility for abating environmental damage from extraction by voluntary means as opposed to government regulation. Tto address damage perpetrated in the past where responsible parties have disappeared, an assessment of a "fee" on all transactions by members of an association similar to the Forestry Stewardship Council would be so much better than mulcting taxpayers for the cost of remediation.
Taxation and government regulation are the bane of freedom, free markets and human cooperation. They are dependent on the use of force and violence, and they always have deleterious unintended consequences. Violence begets violence and does not take place in a vacuum. It would also be a boon to the environment if government, with its so-called "sovereign immunity" saving it from responsible stewardship was precluded from ownership or political control of any natural resources.
@"We’ve heard the message from customers. Now brand owners and jewelry retailers must come together to establish a certification system that will assure responsible behavior." (I would add precious-metals dealers and traders.)
It would be so much better, and in the long run more efficacious, if those directly or indirectly dependent on natural resources took responsibility for abating environmental damage from extraction by voluntary means as opposed to government regulation. Tto address damage perpetrated in the past where responsible parties have disappeared, an assessment of a "fee" on all transactions by members of an association similar to the Forestry Stewardship Council would be so much better than mulcting taxpayers for the cost of remediation.
Taxation and government regulation are the bane of freedom, free markets and human cooperation. They are dependent on the use of force and violence, and they always have deleterious unintended consequences. Violence begets violence and does not take place in a vacuum. It would also be a boon to the environment if government, with its so-called "sovereign immunity" saving it from responsible stewardship was precluded from ownership or political control of any natural resources.
1
"Taxation and government regulation are the bane of freedom"
Lets drink to poisons in the water and food chain and get rid of messy regulation.
Lets drink to poisons in the water and food chain and get rid of messy regulation.
8
So, your proposal would be to ask mining and chemical companies to voluntarily fund the clean up of abandoned toxic waste sites currently being handled by EPA (i.e., Superfund sites)? Based on the amounts of money required and the history of voluntary mine clean up in the US, this is astonishingly naive. Just one abandoned site, the Berkeley Pit in Montana is expected to cost its owner (ARCO) $1 billion to clean up. Without the Superfund law, do you really think ARCO or any other mining company would have been paying for this clean up? There are over 1300 Superfund sites throughout the U.S. Leaving dangerous public health menaces like the Berkeley Pit for ordinary taxpayers to clean up appears more of a threat to freedom, free markets, and human cooperation than the current government regulation.
6
There is no price without someone valuing it and a government backing it.
3
The electronics industry uses more gold than the jewelry business. Every circuit board produced contains gold because it is a better conductor of electricity than silver or copper and never oxidizes and loses it conductivity. Even the ends of a telephone cord and the jacks it plugs into are plated with 50 microns of gold.
Yet I see little effort to recover it through recycling. Go to the dump and see all the electronics dumped illegally in many cities today.
What did you do with the last PC you replaced?
The author of this article took a very narrow view of the purpose of gold used in the industry he was a part of.
Gold is a strategic metal and reducing the amount available will hurt numerous industries not just the jewelry business.
Yet I see little effort to recover it through recycling. Go to the dump and see all the electronics dumped illegally in many cities today.
What did you do with the last PC you replaced?
The author of this article took a very narrow view of the purpose of gold used in the industry he was a part of.
Gold is a strategic metal and reducing the amount available will hurt numerous industries not just the jewelry business.
10
Please correct me if I am wrong, but, according to a couple of articles I have read, the process of making a great variety of goods with gold resulted in surprisingly large amounts of gold "dust" that was recycled for use in the relatively small electronic parts that require ultra-thin coatings of the element. If that is not true, capture and re-use of the gold dust should be introduced in manufacturing.
Quibble. Gold is not as good a conductor as either silver or copper; lying about midway between aluminum and copper. Even used in relay contacts because it doesn't readily oxidize, its softness is detrimental.
It is used in microelectronics as connecting leads at chip level because of ductility and ease of making connections, and since all these are encapsulated, even the inertness doesn't matter. In fact, gold is the enemy of silicon devices as a contaminant, so if an alternative were available it would be instantly adopted. External use, as on connectors, is a different story, where the softness and inertness are useful. Not to say that it couldn't be replaced if necessary.
It is used in microelectronics as connecting leads at chip level because of ductility and ease of making connections, and since all these are encapsulated, even the inertness doesn't matter. In fact, gold is the enemy of silicon devices as a contaminant, so if an alternative were available it would be instantly adopted. External use, as on connectors, is a different story, where the softness and inertness are useful. Not to say that it couldn't be replaced if necessary.
2
"The electronics industry uses more gold than the jewelry business."
Incorrect. Industrial applications of gold uses 10% of available supply. Jewelry uses 50% and investment (bullion) uses 40%.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold
Incorrect. Industrial applications of gold uses 10% of available supply. Jewelry uses 50% and investment (bullion) uses 40%.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold
4
Government needs to lead by example on the gold issue...
The IMF, the US Treasury and all of the major global central banks continue to hold vast gold hoards as reserves even though the world's currencies are no longer backed by gold.
John Maynard Keynes called gold a "barbarous relic" almost a century ago and economists love to mock people who hold it as a hedge against inflation or currency instability
If governments dump trillions of dollars worth of gold onto the open market, the price of gold would fall far below the level where gold would be economical to mine. All of the mines would be out of business, forever.
Moreover, there would be plenty of gold for jewelry and people would not have to feel shame for wearing a gold wedding band or whatever.
The best part is that without gold to bail them out in the event of a currency crisis, governments might be forced to manage their finances more rationally, something that would benefit everyone who does not happen to work for the government.
Congress needs to pass a law forcing Treasury to unload the gold sitting in Fort Knox or in the vaults of the New York Federal Reserve Bank and use the money for some greater human purpose.
I'll even make a pledge to buy some of that gold. I'd love to see gold go on sale for twenty bucks an ounce, which was the price when Keynes made his famous remark. Gold is over a thousand dollars an ounce, so the government needs to get busy and set a good example soon.
The IMF, the US Treasury and all of the major global central banks continue to hold vast gold hoards as reserves even though the world's currencies are no longer backed by gold.
John Maynard Keynes called gold a "barbarous relic" almost a century ago and economists love to mock people who hold it as a hedge against inflation or currency instability
If governments dump trillions of dollars worth of gold onto the open market, the price of gold would fall far below the level where gold would be economical to mine. All of the mines would be out of business, forever.
Moreover, there would be plenty of gold for jewelry and people would not have to feel shame for wearing a gold wedding band or whatever.
The best part is that without gold to bail them out in the event of a currency crisis, governments might be forced to manage their finances more rationally, something that would benefit everyone who does not happen to work for the government.
Congress needs to pass a law forcing Treasury to unload the gold sitting in Fort Knox or in the vaults of the New York Federal Reserve Bank and use the money for some greater human purpose.
I'll even make a pledge to buy some of that gold. I'd love to see gold go on sale for twenty bucks an ounce, which was the price when Keynes made his famous remark. Gold is over a thousand dollars an ounce, so the government needs to get busy and set a good example soon.
4
Not a bad idea, except for all those third-world poor who already measure their savings in gold. Dump gold, drop the world price, and you further impoverish all these people. To replace gold as wealth, we'd need world peace, political and economic stability and other nice things. Now there's a goal!
2
@R The gold is worth trillions...dump it and give the money to the poor..or, would you rather watch them risk their lives and rape the planet to eek out their daily pittance?
3
I thank you for this piece. As one who would profit from the mining, it has more impact.
But let's not stop in Alaska, and let's not stop at gold, which as a previous post mentions, is easy melted back down to become another form. But other places if great natural beauty are also under threat, whether or not you get to go fly fishing there. Papua New guinea is suffering great open pit mining, and the toxic tailings that spoil water, as is Indonesia to name 2 out of many.
Indigenous people in the Amazon have had the land sold out from under their feet by their governments for oil exploration and are suffering despoiled lands and water that is filled with poison. What about them?
Must we turn the earth into one big toxic toilet? We human beings have lived on the earth for thousands of years. In the last hundred or so we have rendered huge swaths of it uninhabitable or downright toxic. It is mass suicide.
But let's not stop in Alaska, and let's not stop at gold, which as a previous post mentions, is easy melted back down to become another form. But other places if great natural beauty are also under threat, whether or not you get to go fly fishing there. Papua New guinea is suffering great open pit mining, and the toxic tailings that spoil water, as is Indonesia to name 2 out of many.
Indigenous people in the Amazon have had the land sold out from under their feet by their governments for oil exploration and are suffering despoiled lands and water that is filled with poison. What about them?
Must we turn the earth into one big toxic toilet? We human beings have lived on the earth for thousands of years. In the last hundred or so we have rendered huge swaths of it uninhabitable or downright toxic. It is mass suicide.
42
Replace “gold” with “fur” and we see those seeking to demonize gold mining employing a VERY mature argument used for a long time with fur. Perhaps soon we’ll see, in addition to $100,000 Russian Sable coats on Park Ave. ruined with spray paint limning a circle with the bar through it and the words “Animal Fur”, a similar spray-paint abomination on the windows of jewelers and the words “No Gold – Save the Planet”.
An observation that is somewhat exaggerated if basically true occurs to me: if we eliminated all products that directly offended some sensibilities, or whose means of manufacture and distribution were equally offending, there probably would remain five jobs on Earth, plus a lot of goat herders.
Don’t agitate against gold. Publish before-and-after photos of gold mining operations and seek to SHAME the mining concerns into designing and building mineral processing plants that destroy less. Failing that as an effective means of diminishing damage, regulators simply need to require miners to define a means of mining that doesn’t destroy surroundings.
An observation that is somewhat exaggerated if basically true occurs to me: if we eliminated all products that directly offended some sensibilities, or whose means of manufacture and distribution were equally offending, there probably would remain five jobs on Earth, plus a lot of goat herders.
Don’t agitate against gold. Publish before-and-after photos of gold mining operations and seek to SHAME the mining concerns into designing and building mineral processing plants that destroy less. Failing that as an effective means of diminishing damage, regulators simply need to require miners to define a means of mining that doesn’t destroy surroundings.
6
Photos to just SHAME the mining concerns? Sure sure, they'll be ashamed... all the way to the bank.
"...regulators simply need to require miners..." Simply? Do you have any idea the process required to formulate regulations that make sense, put them into place, enforce them? That is NOT simple.
What Mr. Kowalski is proposing is the very first step in your notion of a simple process. And a very much needed one.
"...regulators simply need to require miners..." Simply? Do you have any idea the process required to formulate regulations that make sense, put them into place, enforce them? That is NOT simple.
What Mr. Kowalski is proposing is the very first step in your notion of a simple process. And a very much needed one.
6
Shame a corporation? Really? While we all know that corporations have very tender religious beliefs, those do not extend to being good stewards of the earth. Other than dictating sexual relations and reproduction rights for humans, corporations have no conscience from which a sense of shame would arise. Their "personhood" is not that well developed. I seriously doubt it will ever be. They are sociopaths.
Regulations are only as good as the funding for the regulators is strong. The GOP has learned that they do not have to overturn regulations if they can hamstring the regulators by starving an agency of funds to carry out its mission or by (in good times when a Republican is in the White House) staffing the agency with industry insiders. Come to think of it, Obama has allowed the same tactic to work under his watch.
Regulations are only as good as the funding for the regulators is strong. The GOP has learned that they do not have to overturn regulations if they can hamstring the regulators by starving an agency of funds to carry out its mission or by (in good times when a Republican is in the White House) staffing the agency with industry insiders. Come to think of it, Obama has allowed the same tactic to work under his watch.
8
Miners, loggers, developers and politicians generally only look at the short-range prospects of tearing-up the land for whatever purpose. The devastation can ruin centuries-old habitats and communities, displace native peoples, endanger natural resources, and negatively effect food sources. But none of the decision-mailers give this any consideration since, generally, by the time the damage is realized, the culprits are long gone.
We only have one planet. Let's treat it wisely!
http://thetruthoncommonsense.com
We only have one planet. Let's treat it wisely!
http://thetruthoncommonsense.com
8
Start by having congress repeal the Mining Act of 1872 which virtually gives away federal lands that have gold or other valuable minerals.
118
Great piece, but good luck with that one!
I watch in utter horror and disgust when I view the devastation wrought by a handful of amateur cranks on the TV series Gold Rush. Not one of those guys ever mentions a word about "cleaning up after this is over"-- Then again, how do you replace permafrost top soil after it's been dumped into a river? It's evident their feelings regarding the environment are about as deep as their common sense. As long as there is global demand for precious metals there will be no shortage of people ready to destroy nature to get it... sad sad sad.
I watch in utter horror and disgust when I view the devastation wrought by a handful of amateur cranks on the TV series Gold Rush. Not one of those guys ever mentions a word about "cleaning up after this is over"-- Then again, how do you replace permafrost top soil after it's been dumped into a river? It's evident their feelings regarding the environment are about as deep as their common sense. As long as there is global demand for precious metals there will be no shortage of people ready to destroy nature to get it... sad sad sad.
95
Aaron: You have no idea. Alaska placer mining is nothing compared to the oil fracking done in the continental US. Placer mining does not affect groundwater supplies' purity as does fracking and top soil can be replaced in the wilderness very quickly.
If you really want to do something intelligent go after oil fracturing.
If you really want to do something intelligent go after oil fracturing.
7
It would take thousands of years to replace that topsoil, if ever.
7
Wow !!! Talk about a back door argument,
by an insider,
to convince one that there should be a regulated
minimum production supply of certain commodities ??
Would that not of course raise downtrending GOLD prices ?
by an insider,
to convince one that there should be a regulated
minimum production supply of certain commodities ??
Would that not of course raise downtrending GOLD prices ?
2
Think of all the gold used to manufacture your latest electronic toy? How much more would that iPhone cost if the price of gold were to rise?
Gold is a strategic metal. That's why governments buy it and store it.
Gold is a strategic metal. That's why governments buy it and store it.
6
For someone with a front-row seat on the business, Mr. Kowalski writes a strikingly ill-considered essay.
When you're talking about mining an element where bonanza ore is a few grams per ton, massive environmental impact per unit production is inevitable. The only question is whether that impact will take place near the CEO's favorite fishing hole in Alaska or in desperately poor townships in South Africa. If Mr. Kowalski were serious about mitigating the impact of gold mining on the environment, he would argue that consumption of gold for jewelry is totally unnecessary. As a luxury that can be completely dispensed with, there is no excuse for causing the destruction associated with heap-leaching and mine tailing disposal. (Gold's exceptional qualities in industrial applications such as electronics cannot be replaced with other materials, but industrial gold is only about 10% of global consumption.) Instead, Mr. Kowalski thinks that slapping a "gluten free" label on the mines outside his back yard will somehow atone for the crime of polluting massively for baubles and trinkets that nobody truly needs.
When you're talking about mining an element where bonanza ore is a few grams per ton, massive environmental impact per unit production is inevitable. The only question is whether that impact will take place near the CEO's favorite fishing hole in Alaska or in desperately poor townships in South Africa. If Mr. Kowalski were serious about mitigating the impact of gold mining on the environment, he would argue that consumption of gold for jewelry is totally unnecessary. As a luxury that can be completely dispensed with, there is no excuse for causing the destruction associated with heap-leaching and mine tailing disposal. (Gold's exceptional qualities in industrial applications such as electronics cannot be replaced with other materials, but industrial gold is only about 10% of global consumption.) Instead, Mr. Kowalski thinks that slapping a "gluten free" label on the mines outside his back yard will somehow atone for the crime of polluting massively for baubles and trinkets that nobody truly needs.
103
Nevertheless, his suggestions are a start, are they not?
9
Everything you write is true. But unfortunately your argument can be extended so widely, that one must question its overall force. For example, probably the computer on which I write this uses elements that have been wrung from ores. Who is to say that gold ornamentation is less valuable than commenting at the NT Times? For tens of thousands of years humans, rightly or wrongly, have valued gold for its intrinsic beauty, closely linked to its noble and useful chemistry. Everywhere we see ancient mines that have been healed by the patient passage of time, and have become places of natural beauty. Yes, for our short term pleasure we might despoil places like Bristol Bay, but in the end the natural order will outlast us, a blip on the history of the universe.
1
Comments like yours, conflating sound practice with private privilege, are completely wrong-headed - in fact they are specious.
3
Do people GET that a 'gold standard' means increasing a nation's purchasing power in direct correlation to its gold holdings? No additions to the gold holdings, no 'new' money in circulation? Talk about motive for environmental destruction...
3
Which countries are still on a gold standard? The US isn't and hasn't been since Nixon.
3
For a man who has spent much of his life in a business dependent upon gold, MK seems keenly unaware of where it comes of where it comes from. Gold is probably the most recycled element on the planet. According to the USGS more gold was recycled in 2013 than consumed. Jewellery amounts to 51% of gold usage, with high tech, central banks and investment taking up nearly all the remaining. Calling for precious metals to be sourced from "conflict-free" areas like precious stones ignores both the limited role the jewellery industry plays in the gold budget and the fungible nature of the metal itself. Unlike precious stone, gold has a vastly greater range of primary and secondary source that are easily commingled and turned into new ingots. This metal is then a store of value and traded on numerous exchanges unlike precious stones which inhabit a world dominated by cloistered markets run by companies such the one MK gratuitously mentions.
Concerning Bristol Bay, the arguments presented seem equally short-sighted and self serving: Pebble would derive more of its revenue from the sale of base metals (mainly copper) than gold. The mine has not even gone to feasibility, yet is implicated as the source of toxins--I wonder how many operating mines Mr Kowalski has ever visited. Nearly all do their best to adhere to all environmental regulations.
This comes across as an attempt to promote a rich man's business while preserving an exclusive use of a favourite fishing hole.
Concerning Bristol Bay, the arguments presented seem equally short-sighted and self serving: Pebble would derive more of its revenue from the sale of base metals (mainly copper) than gold. The mine has not even gone to feasibility, yet is implicated as the source of toxins--I wonder how many operating mines Mr Kowalski has ever visited. Nearly all do their best to adhere to all environmental regulations.
This comes across as an attempt to promote a rich man's business while preserving an exclusive use of a favourite fishing hole.
33
"Nearly all do their best to adhere to all environmental regulations."
Tell that to the people who die in them. What about Massey Energy?
Tell that to the people who die in them. What about Massey Energy?
10
When it comes to the evils of and transgressions of the extraction business, the Aussies are among the world's worst offenders .
4
Golddigger, you know your stuff, but taking aim at the writer and his motives is rather harsh. Making gold mining more socially responsible will be tough, but improvement is a very worthy goal. Maybe manufacturers could certify that their jewelry is made from recycled products, the way greeting cards are made from recycled paper. Anyway, it's time to start. When and if precious metals rise in price, reforms will be that much harder.
I will "gratuitously" mention that my familiarity with gold comes from being a rare coin dealer. So I am a VERY minor player in precious metals. YOU come across as someone who profits from mining interests. I've no idea where you do your fishing. Whatever your motives, the info you've provided is helpful to this discussion.
I will "gratuitously" mention that my familiarity with gold comes from being a rare coin dealer. So I am a VERY minor player in precious metals. YOU come across as someone who profits from mining interests. I've no idea where you do your fishing. Whatever your motives, the info you've provided is helpful to this discussion.
3
thank you for beautifully within the article, however whenever there is a profit motive behind decisions in the corporate boardroom, the perspective also changes dramatically. Although in the US we've had a long history of government involvement in those situations where the market system cannot by itself govern such as to be in conformity with the best interests of society in the long run, there's still a long ways to go. I for one have never been aware of the mining in the Bristol Bay area, I am glad that you're making it known for persons like myself and others, so that we may proceed to vote accordingly.
4
"in the US we've had a long history of government involvement in those situations where the market system cannot by itself govern such as to be in conformity with the best interests of society in the long run"
That "long history" is less than a hundred years old when it comes to any restraints on industry and about fifty years old when it comes to environmental protection. Both have been whittled away for decades by corporate interest who own Congress. If we want to protect the environment and our own health, we will have to fight for it over and over and over.
That "long history" is less than a hundred years old when it comes to any restraints on industry and about fifty years old when it comes to environmental protection. Both have been whittled away for decades by corporate interest who own Congress. If we want to protect the environment and our own health, we will have to fight for it over and over and over.
13
How about the customers who buy the stuff peddled by Tiffany et al. with money gained directly or indirectly from violating human rights, economic exploitation and environmental destruction? Cheap talk Mr Kowalski.
3
Mr. Kowalski, you must not be a conservative nor a republican if you think pollution and greed are not the end all and be all of life.
5
Why are people longing for a dirt metal?
3
There is an established and international respected certification system run by the Responsible Jewellery Council. It applies to anyone in the gold (or diamond) supply chain - the solution is for more industry participants to join this excellent program, so consumers can be assured that their jewellery is sourced responsibly.
24
Wouldn't it be cool if "environmental cost of operations" became a line item on profit and loss statements. Greed can be good. It just needs the right incentives.
70
Are you suggesting that a corporation or whole industry dispense with the time honored practice of externalizing the risks and cost to society and the environment of its activities? How can they pay their executives millions in bonuses if they have to pay for the damage they do? What are you? A socialist?
10
Unfortunately, the largest consumers of gold are India & China, which together account for 63% of the worlds gold consumption. The US only accounts for a little less than 7%.
India & China are notoriously corrupt and ethically deficient, so the likelihood they will only buy gold, other precious metals, or gems that adhered to these standards is between slim & none.
India & China are notoriously corrupt and ethically deficient, so the likelihood they will only buy gold, other precious metals, or gems that adhered to these standards is between slim & none.
7
"India & China are notoriously corrupt and ethically deficient"
Don't despair. We are catching up with them as quickly as possible. We already beat them in the percent of population incarcerated. Our police are rapidly becoming as dangerous and corrupt - not to mention our elected officials.
Don't despair. We are catching up with them as quickly as possible. We already beat them in the percent of population incarcerated. Our police are rapidly becoming as dangerous and corrupt - not to mention our elected officials.
2
>
"The jewelry trade must not profit from mines that ruin the natural world" NYT
Why not every other traded commidity does.
"The jewelry trade must not profit from mines that ruin the natural world" NYT
Why not every other traded commidity does.
6
Thank you for advocating for Alaska wilderness. Having seen an open pit gold mine in Alaska, even one that is reclaiming the land, I was amazed at the size of the pit needed to extract even small amounts of gold. The size of these pits have to be seen to be believed, describing them is not enough.
In addition to the displacement of thousands of acres of soil, the use of chemicals to extract the gold from the ore is inevitably going to leech into the ground, despite the best of intentions, destroying a fragile ecosystem. And as Mr. Kowalski says, the tailings create a further hazard.
It is heartening to see a company that has contributed much beauty to the world through its products striving to protect the beauty of the environment.
In addition to the displacement of thousands of acres of soil, the use of chemicals to extract the gold from the ore is inevitably going to leech into the ground, despite the best of intentions, destroying a fragile ecosystem. And as Mr. Kowalski says, the tailings create a further hazard.
It is heartening to see a company that has contributed much beauty to the world through its products striving to protect the beauty of the environment.
55
Jewelers can source reputably. It takes more effort to know your opal miner or the family that sells you gems but it can be done.
As a teen, my father began investigating abandoned mines seeing what gold was left in those Idaho hills. There was a lot of gold but the wonderful new environmental regulations helped keep the mining companies he sold abandoned claims to from beginning mining. So I have dredged and panned for gold and know that the floor of any jewelry studio is richer in gold dust than those precious rivers and mountains.