When shopping, we often tend to overlook the origins of the product and its parts since they are ironically often so detached from the context we are buying them in, especially when shopping in-store without a lot of time to think about the decision and do some research. Gemstones and jewellery are a prime example of that – the luxurious environment of jewellery stores couldn’t be further from the conditions diamonds and other gemstones are obtained in. It is therefore vital to have a working knowledge of how diamond mining works and what’s its environmental impact and keep it in mind when shopping.
Diamonds can only be found below Earth’s surface, which is why mining is the only way to retrieve them. Unfortunately, this has an undeniably negative impact on the environment and society. Increasingly, diamond mining is being moved further away into the developing world, which makes these impacts less and less visible to us in the west – that is all the more reason to talk about the issues.
The most destructive kind of mining?
There is more than one way to extract diamonds from the earth, some of which are more environmentally damaging than others. The two most common ways are open-pit mining and underground mining. Underground mining is slightly less damaging to the surrounding environment, since (as the name suggests) it creates a system of underground tunnels and leads to less surface damage. Open-pit mining, on the other hand, involves the removal of earth and stones from the surface and subsequent blasting of the ore. Open-pit mining is the most damaging diamond mining strategy which strips fertile land down to abandoned pits. Besides that, it also carries increased health risks to local communities – for example, in the Amazon, diamond mining was responsible for a malaria resurge.
Changes to the natural environment.
Diamonds as a resource are only found in certain locations and sometimes, these are not in the most convenient places to mine. Diamond mining companies have therefore taken it upon themselves to change the courses of rivers or build dams to gain access to the mining locations. These changes to the natural environment can destroy a whole eco-system, as they negatively affect local communities, fauna and flora.
Lack of legislation.
As previously mentioned, diamond mining is increasingly moving to Sub-Saharan countries such as Botswana or Zimbabwe (partially due to increasing environmental legislation in the west), where legislation setting an environmental and ethical standard is scarce. This is why diamond mining companies can get away with much more environmental damage.
As a result, diamond mining is causing destruction of fertile farming land, contamination of the water cycle, drying of water wells, noise pollution or home destruction. This is also by extension responsible for many injuries and health issues to workers and the local population, as well as the resurgence of diseases. Diamond mining is also tied to a large number of ethical problems, including forced child labour, unfair wages and terrible working conditions.
So how do we make a change? As people living in the 21st century, we have the power to choose the future we want simply by being conscious of our shopping decisions. If you don’t agree with the actions of a particular industry, stop supporting them by paying them money and push for a system change.
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