エシカルケータイキャンペーン

バンカ・ブリトゥン州（インドネシア）におけるスズ採掘問題

ethical-keitai — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 07:36:44 +0000

世界的なスズの産地－バンカ・ブリトゥン州
・バンカ・ブリトゥン州は、バンカ島、ブリトゥン島を中心に470の島からなる地域。
・ 1850年頃よりスズ採掘を開始し、世界的に主要なスズ産地となっている。
・現在では世界のスズの1/3がインドネシア産であり、そのうち90％はバンカ・ブリトゥン産である。
・バンカ島、ブリトゥン島合わせて160万haある陸地のうち3/4以上に採掘許可が下りている。企業による大規模な採掘現場の他、その周辺で個人による小規模な採掘も多数行われている。
・ 2006年頃より、海洋での採掘も増加。

採掘による主な問題
１、森林破壊：　保護林での違法操業などによって、島の60％の森林が危機的な状態にある。
２、採掘跡地の再生：　採掘跡地を植林や農地化により回復させる試みが行われているが、露天掘りによって表土がはがされた土地での生態系回復は困難であり、ほとんどが失敗に終わっている。また、採掘跡地でハマダラカが繁殖し、住民のマラリアやデング熱の発症数が増えているとの報告がある。
３、海洋生態系への影響：　海洋での採掘により50％以上のサンゴが損害を受け、海洋生態系が破壊されている。魚が減り、漁業ができなくなるなどの被害も深刻である。漁業者から個人でのスズ採掘業へ転身する者が増えている。
４、水質汚染：　採掘現場の周辺では、飲み水として利用していた水が、汚染されて飲めなくなってしまったため、飲料水を購入しなければならなくなった。
５、児童労働：　貧しい家庭では子供が学校をやめ、スズ採掘の現場で働かされる事例が多い。これに加え、採掘現場での放射線量が高いため、健康面での被害も懸念される。
６、労働者の安全：　採掘現場での山崩れ、海洋での事故などにより毎年50～100人が死亡している。大規模な採掘現場の周辺で、個人で採掘を行う者が増えていることも、病気や事故の増加の要因になっている。

★参考：　企業の取り組み　～Tin Working Groupの設立（2013年）
FoEインドネシアなどの働きかけにより、サプライチェーンを通じて、スズの供給を確保しつつ、地域経済への貢献と採掘による環境社会影響の軽減に取り組むことを目的として設立された。構成企業は、アップル、サムスン、フィリップス、ソニーなど。

★参照資料：
・Grim Portraits of Bangka Belitung Tin Mining（FoEインドネシア、FoEオランダ／2014年）
・「Make It Better Campaign」の映像より（FoE英国／2012年秋公開）

★映像 Friends of the Earth (England, Wales & Northern Ireland)
フィルム１：採掘後の土地の生態系回復（Mining For Smartphones: Film 1 – The Tin Mines of Bangka Island）
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6KxzGMF4co&feature=youtu.be
フィルム２：海洋採掘による海洋環境・生態系破壊（Mining For Smartphones: Film 2 – oast, oral and ommunity）
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBaVbSY1trs
フィルム３：島民の健康、生活への影響、産業構造の問題（Mining For Smartphones: Film 3 – The True ost of Tin）
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BilGmYtFuk

(日本語) 環境汚染と地元の人々の生活・健康へのリスク（フィリピン・パラワン島）

ethical-keitai — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:21:12 +0000

Sorry, this entry is only available in 日本語.

(日本語) 資源採掘による世界の問題事例

ethical — Thu, 03 May 2012 06:28:21 +0000

Sorry, this entry is only available in 日本語.

Children’s rights at stake

aseed.org — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:24:27 +0000

In the Congo under relentless conflicts, copper, tin, cobalt mines exploit child labor. Children are forced to do hard manual labor under cruel conditions all day. What they receive as wages can not even buy a meal after work. Not being allowed to attend schools, they are forced to engage in crushing and carrying rocks or digging with their bare hands and feet in tunnel 40 meters below the surface. They also work to wash dirt to screen copper and cobalt in toxic muddy water.

In India, hundreds and thousands children are sent to mines as illegal labor force for drilling, crushing, screening, loading, dumping pebbles/stones, transportation and processing. Because poorly managed mines without foundation support are in danger of collapsing any time, children are constantly facing dangers of injuries and death.

Nickel Mining on the “Island closest to heaven”: Destruction of biodiversity and indigenous peoples’ rights

aseed.org — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:24:03 +0000

New Caledonia, the island nation embraced by beautiful coal reefs enjoys very rich and important ecosystems and biodiversity with shrublands, forests, rivers and marshlands, especially the southmost region has a high propotion of endemic plants.

The world-heritage listed coastal area surrounding the island offers habitats for dugons, sea turtles and whales. Now on this island, a large-scale strip mining operation called “Nickel Cobalt Project” has been set forward by Goro Nickel S.A. They have built refineries, a port, a dam for waste disposal and a pipeline. The project plans to excavate more than 6million tons of earth per year to produce 60,000 tons of nickel oxide.

The local indigenous communities waged protest against the project on the ground that their livelihood and culture will be endangered. But, they failed to stop the project. The nickel produced on the island is to be exported to Japan, too.

Endangered Gorillas

aseed.org — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:23:29 +0000

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the major tantalum producers, many gorillas have been harmed in mining operation. They were eaten by mine workers or lost their habitats due to a large-scale clearcutting of forests for building workers’ lodges or to obtain firewood and charcoal. Gorillas are listed as the endangered species. Especially, mountain gorillas and eastern lowland gorillas are facing extinction with estimated numbers of 700 and 1500, respectively.

Problems of mining

aseed.org — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 04:17:21 +0000

Mineral ores, raw material of metal only exist in certain regions on the earth. The volume is quite scarce and not concentrated in one place. Once one or more veins are confirmed, a large scale mining project is most likely to begin, displacing indigenouse and local residents from their land and clear-cutting the forests on the land. As a result, valuable ecosystems may be lost or harmed and the ancestorial land of people will be exploited.

In case of so-called “surface mining” or “strip mining”, a large quantitiy of land surface is removed instead of digging narrow pits, destroying vegetation while discharging massive amounts of wastes. It is said that one metric ton of excavated land contains only one gram of gold and the rest must be disposed of.

In addition, mining operations use a vast amount of energy and water. Consequently, the maining areas suffer from great environmental impacts. In some cases, the massive wastes contaminate rivers and soil.

Undergroud mining with tunneling is often carried out under very poor working conditions. Especially mines operating with primitive methods, problems of child labor and forced labor have been reported.

Many of the underground mines have strong connections with major capitalists and specific interest groups. In the countries under unstable economic or political conditions, fraud and corruption are likely happen behind the mining projects because they need government permits to initiate mining. As the term “resource curse” indicates, mineral resources are suspected to be a funding source for armed counter insurgent groups.

Amiena scanden, the endemic plant of New Caledonia, near the nickel mine.

Mining operations often unearth large areas.

Nickel refinery