Mine Kampf

The rescue of the 33 people from deep within the bowels of a mine in Chile will have to go down as the heroic story of the year. One can only imagine what ordeal the men must have faced in the dark, hot cave where they had huddled together to escape the tons of rock and dirt that came crashing down. Those of us used to a hectic pace of life, who cannot even sit still for a few minutes without checking a Blackberry, would probably have gone mad within a day. But these brave souls not only conquered their physical challenges but also the mental demons that no doubt plagued them from very early on. One can only hope that their return to the surface is the end of their trauma, and that being away from human contact for almost 10 weeks does not leave them with life long scars that never heal.

The disaster in Chile is just one of several that have taken place over the past few years across the world, notably those in the US and China. While perhaps greater numbers of people die every year from falls in the house, the thought of a mine accident usually evokes a strong response from just about everyone - the horror of being buried alive is not just confined to the claustrophobic amongst us. And yet people continue to engage in mining as a profession, some as a legacy, others driven by lucrative persuasions, while for many it is simply the only choice they have to eke out a living.

Why does mining exist? For the same reason that agriculture exists - to feed the needs of mankind. The "food" in question are the raw materials for modern societies, the iron, aluminium, coal, copper etc that find their way into thousands of products. Even the hybrid cars of today ultimately rely on mining of lithium to power the batteries. Entire empires have been based on mining, the prime example being that of the Belgian rule in the Congo, whose prime export of copper continues to fuel tensions to this day.

So, as the website of Vale, one of the largest mining groups in the world, states "There is no future without mining", we are well and truly dependent on this source of materials. But what about recycling of those materials? Surely there is a point at which we have all the raw materials we need, and can continue to re-form them into new products? At that stage, you would only need a small amount of new material to augment what is already in use. Of course, then you have to contend with finding employment for a large sector of society - but that is surely a good problem to have, versus trying to figure out how to get 33 miners out of the ground?