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Mining

The Belo Monte dam.

Lula vows to end illegal mining in the Amazon. But legal mining is more complicated.

Environment

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made a promise to roll back illegal mining in the Amazon. But he has a more complicated relationship with legal mining. Indigenous activists continue to battle over a new gold mine project managed by a Canadian firm.

president at podium

Russia’s ‘conflict diamonds’ under scrutiny 

Ukraine
In this photo taken Aug. 17, 2012, one of the few remaining miners digs out soil which will later be filtered for traces of cassiterite, the major ore of tin, at Nyabibwe mine, in eastern Congo. 

Rebels with a business cause: Part II

Critical State
A small crowd of people are shown examining green ballots next to rows of boxes.

Main opposition party against mining wins Greenland election

Politics
A large scenic river with sloping mountains on either side.

An unlikely eco-alliance in postwar El Salvador

Environment
Two people are shown in the distance standing on a brown dirt and rock ledge.

‘China’s Erin Brockovich’ goes global to hold Chinese companies accountable

Environmental lawyer Zhang Jingjing has worked in 20 countries since 2015 to help clean up or shut down Chinese-owned mines, power plants or industrial projects.

The San Nicolas mine in Spain's northern region of Asturias is the last working coalmine in all of Spain. At its peak, it employed around two thousand people — today, about two hundred people work there.

Spain’s coal miners continue to wait for their country’s ‘Green New Deal’

Climate Change

As Europe transitions away from coal, it’s unclear whether the newly-elected Spanish Socialists can offer hope to the region of Asturias, where people have mined coal for 150 years.

Polluted river Sonora, Mexico

A recent leak of sulfuric acid into the Mexico’s Sea of Cortez arouses anger and concern

Environment

A recent sulfuric acid spill from a mining facility in Sonora, Mexico, has angered local residents and prompted calls for better environmental oversight from the Mexican government.

Protesters hold signs and yell during a protest.

The Philippines identified as the deadliest country for environmental activists

Environment

The NGO Global Witness detailed in its annual report how the Philippines has been identified as the deadliest country in the world for environmental activists, in large part due to violence and intimidation from the mining, energy, and logging industries.

Red Dog Mine

The most toxic town in America

Environment

In 2017, the EPA listed Kotzebue, Alaska, the most industrially polluted community in the United States — a result of millions of pounds of poisonous dust laden with heavy metals released annually from zinc and lead mining at nearby Red Dog Mine.

Latest Episode

‘The Devil Underground’: Inside Colombia’s Gold Wars