Republic of Mining

‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ Review: Brilliant Diamond Doc Reveals What Could Burst the Bauble Bubble – by Peter Debrug (Yahoo Finance – February 13, 2022)

July 4, 2023July 4, 2023

https://finance.yahoo.com/

It takes perhaps a billion years to make a diamond, and just 87 minutes to shatter so many of the misconceptions audiences have about them in “Nothing Lasts Forever.” Make that eight minutes. That’s roughly the point at which jewelry designer (and “Stone” author) Aja Raden — the only woman interviewed in Jason Kohn’s wild, decade-long delve into the secretive world of the diamond industry — offers up this gem: “The truth about diamonds is: They’re all exactly the same, and none of them are really worth anything.”

For some, that revelation could hit with the force of being told there’s no Santa Claus, even though it’s been an open secret for ages. Most audiences probably already have some inkling of how the De Beers diamond cartel took a not-particularly-rare stone and infused it with value by cornering the market, stockpiling most of the world’s supply and controlling the release at such a rate as to set the price.

John A. Macdonald saved more Indigenous lives than any other prime minister – by Greg Piasetzki (National Post – July 2, 2023)

July 4, 2023

https://nationalpost.com/

Given that he died in 1891, the facts of Sir John A. Macdonald’s life are unchangeable. The story of his life, however, has changed dramatically. For most of Canada’s history, Macdonald was considered a nation-builder worthy of celebration and veneration. Today he is a war criminal, at least to hear some tell it.

But a proper and balanced consideration of Macdonald’s life reveals that, through his own actions and policies, Canada’s first prime minister was directly and deliberately responsible for saving the lives of untold numbers of Indigenous people. Given the temper of our times, this is not likely to be a popular notion. But that does not make it any less true.

Trial over Spanish ecological disaster starts, 25 years on (France 24 – July 4, 2023)

July 4, 2023July 4, 2023

https://www.france24.com/en/

Madrid (Spain) (AFP) – Twenty five years after one of Spain’s worst ecological disasters, a court case against the Swedish mining company involved opened Tuesday in the southern city of Seville.

The case, being brought by the regional government in Andalusia, holds mining company Boliden responsible for a 1998 toxic spill that contaminated a vast stretch of rivers and wetlands with heavy metals including arsenic, cadmium and mercury.

The Donana National Park wetlands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are home to the endangered Iberian lynx and are a vital stopover point for millions of birds migrating between Europe and Africa. The catastrophe occurred when a wastewater reserve pool burst at Boliden’s Los Frailes lead and zinc mine in the city of Aznalcollar, spewing more than five million cubic metres (17.5 million cubic feet) of highly acid sludge into the river and groundwater.

First Nations group prepared to invest up to $10 million in Temiskaming battery metals recycling venture – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – June 26, 2023)

June 28, 2023

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Three Fires Group to take equity stake in Electra Battery Materials

Electra Battery Materials, the developers of a Temiskaming cobalt refinery, have come out with a financing package to finish construction of the plant and kick-start the development of a battery recycling operation.

The Toronto company’s new joint venture Indigenous partner, the Three Fires Group, is tentatively prepared to invest $10 million or half as part of a total $20-million arrangement for this venture, according to an Electra spokesperson.

Restoration: Harnessing technology to improve revegetation outcomes – by Jenny Fortier (Canadian Mining Journal – June 1, 2023)

June 28, 2023

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

By 2030, it will be necessary to revegetate at least one billion hectares of land worldwide to reach the United Nation’s sustainable development goals. Canada has set an ambitious goal to conserve and revegetate 30% of the country’s land mass by 2030. As global leaders in sustainable resource development, the Canadian mining sector has a unique opportunity to contribute to these shared goals.

The goal of revegetation is to recreate a functional and diverse ecosystem that resembles the original pre-industrial conditions as closely as possible. Plant communities can be established through sowing seed, planting seedlings, or allowing the area to be recolonized slowly over time.

Opinion: When did minerals become a dirty word? – by Mark Cutifani (Australian Financial Review – June 27, 2023)

June 28, 2023

https://www.afr.com/

The mining industry is going to have to get better at explaining to the public how the world works, and the role that resources plays in it.

It seems to me that the ancient Greeks understood more about mining and its critical role in society than our modern, so-called informed society. Today, with greater access to information and knowledge, our ignorance on how the world works seems to grow exponentially.

The ancient Greeks understood the vital role minerals play in nourishing our soils to support sustainable crops to feed the 8 billion or so of us now on the planet. Minerals also provide the building blocks for the shelter and accommodation that keep most of us dry and warm, and allow the urban infrastructure needed to minimise our footprints and protect the complex biodiversity in which we live.

Threatened by shortages, electric car makers race for supplies of lithium for batteries – by Joe McDonald (Washington Post – June 27, 2023)

June 28, 2023

https://www.washingtonpost.com/

BEIJING — Threatened by possible shortages of lithium for electric car batteries, automakers are racing to lock in supplies of the once-obscure “white gold” in a politically and environmentally fraught competition from China to Nevada to Chile.

General Motors Co. and the parent company of China’s BYD Auto Ltd. went straight to the source and bought stakes in lithium miners, a rare step in an industry that relies on outside vendors for copper and other raw materials. Others are investing in lithium refining or ventures to recycle the silvery-white metal from used batteries.

Sapphire mines of Paddar: Scientific exploration of world’s finest sapphire likely to begin in June – by Ravi Krishnan Khajuria (Hindustan Times – May 11, 2023)

June 28, 2023

https://www.hindustantimes.com/

“On May 17, 2013, a 19.88 carat cushion-shaped sapphire from Paddar, called Starof Kashmir, had smashed all records after it was sold for $3,483,017 (nearly ₹20 crore)at an auction in Geneva.”

The mining department of Jammu and Kashmir has finalised a strategy for detailed and scientific exploration of world-famous sapphire from the mines of Paddar in Kishtwar district.Hitherto, the scientific exploration of the mines had not been possible for varied reasons.

On Tuesday, mining secretary Amit Sharma chaired a high-level meeting wherein a pointed strategy was finalised for conduct of detailed exploration study of the sapphire in Paddar area.

Column: Court case shines a harsh light on London Metal Exchange – by Andy Home (Reuters – June 25, 2023)

June 28, 2023

https://www.reuters.com/

The first part of the London Metal Exchange’s (LME) courtroom drama is over after three days of legal argument at London’s Royal Courts of Justice. The LME, owned by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, now awaits judgment on whether its cancellation of nickel trades on March 8 last year was lawful.

US-based hedge fund Elliott Associates and market maker Jane Street Global Trading (Jane Street) argue its action was unlawful and are demanding $472 million in damages. The 146-year-old exchange contends it was justified in closing the market and cancelling trades because $19.7 billion of margin calls would otherwise have triggered a “death spiral” of member defaults.

Co-creator of lithium-ion battery and the oldest Nobel winner dies at age 100 – by Jim Vertuno (Associated Press – June 26, 2023)

June 28, 2023

https://apnews.com/

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — John Goodenough, who shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work developing the lithium-ion battery that transformed technology with rechargeable power for devices ranging from cellphones, computers, and pacemakers to electric cars, has died at 100, the University of Texas announced Monday.

Goodenough died Sunday at an assisted living facility in Austin, the university announced. No cause of death was given. Goodenough was a faculty member at Texas for nearly 40 years. Goodenough was the oldest person to receive a Nobel Prize when he shared the award with British-born American scientist M. Stanley Whittingham and Japan’s Akira Yoshino.

Junior exploration ‘absolutely critical’, Barrick’s Bristow tells London Indaba – by Martin Creamer (MiningWeekly.com – June 27, 2023)

June 28, 2023

https://www.miningweekly.com/

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Junior exploration is an “absolutely critical” component of a sustainable mining industry, and “it is something that we neglect”, Barrick president and CEO Dr Mark Bristow has told the London Indaba.

“We are always engaged in exploration and we are always talking to the junior explorers,” said Bristow. The Africa-linked Randgold Resources that Bristow ran before merging it with Barrick four years ago had a highly successful discover and develop strategy that resulted in a discovered cost per ounce being considerably lower than the ounces other gold companies were acquiring through mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists – by Scott Sonner (Associated Press – June 27, 2023)

June 28, 2023

https://apnews.com/

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A U.S. appeals court will consider challenges Tuesday to a huge lithium mine in Nevada in a case that pits environmentalists and Native Americans against President Joe Biden’s plans to combat climate change and could have broad implications for mining operations across the West.

For the first time since it blocked construction of an Arizona copper mine last year, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was scheduled to hear oral arguments in a two-year-old legal battle with striking similarities to the Arizona case. The Nevada mine is in the works near the Oregon line and would involve extraction of the silvery-white metal used in electric-vehicle batteries.

Why Coloured Gemstones Are Here To Stay (Especially In Asia) – by Florence Tsai (Forbes Magazine – June 27, 2023)

June 28, 2023

https://www.forbes.com/

Coloured gemstones have long been an investment class for the discerning individual, particularly women. A recent trip to Bangkok has proved that not only is the rare coloured gemstone industry going strong – it has also rebounded post-covid and been in more demand than ever.

Those in the industry will be familiar with the name Gemfields, owner of Swiss luxury jewellery brand Fabergé and operator of some of the world’s most important coloured gemstone mines. Early humans’ fascination with colour, and desire to own lasting examples of it made them fall in love with gemstones, for their beauty was unwavering.

‘Dare to say mining is ok’ and dig in for global change – by Marion Rae (Canberra Times – June 27, 2023)

June 28, 2023

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/

Companies and governments are vying for enough critical minerals to accelerate the world’s energy transformation but community trust is stuck in the slow lane. The industry is at a defining moment, Minerals Council of Australia CEO Tania Constable told an international forum in Brisbane.

Electric vehicles will need six times more minerals than conventional vehicles. Combined with surging demand for energy storage, solar panels and wind turbines, global mining investment to supply manufacturers will need to increase by $US100 billion per year.

Canada’s Opportunity to be a Global Food Superpower – by Charles McMillan (Policy Magazine – January 23, 2023)

June 28, 2023

January-February 2024

Climate change, COVID-19, and the war in Ukraine are just some of the crises that have exposed an unfortunate new reality — our global food supply is perilously insecure. Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, whose food exports directly and indirectly impact almost two billion people, has impacted many in the poorest countries.

Inflation that has been attributed to the war and to supply chain disruptions hasn’t helped. Climate change and the resulting impacts on extreme weather patterns of drought, flooding, forest fires, water shortages and unprecedented temperature conditions have impacted agriculture and growth across more and more of the world.