Sustainability 101
In 1987, this international organization defined sustainability as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
What is the United Nations; World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED)
Bling bling! Accounting for about 2,093 tonnes in 2023, this wearable category remains the largest use of gold globally.
What is jewelry?
When arranging the positive impacts of mining by the 3 Ps framework, "Economy" is paired with this money-making "P" word.
What is Profit?
Mining provides the key raw materials needed to build solar panels, batteries, and wind turbines for this type of "clean" sector.
What is clean energy?
The "Society" pillar includes improvements to this essential system, bringing doctors, nurses, and medical facilities to rural mining regions.
What is health care?
To achieve true sustainability, we must balance environmental and economic systems with this system that focuses on fair treatment and justice for all people.
What is the Social system?
If you tracked all the gold purchased globally in a single year, jewelry would account for nearly this fraction of the total demand.
What is one-half?
Mining provides a massive boost to the government's wallet by generating this type of revenue, which helps fund public services.
What is tax revenue?
The "Planet" pillar emphasizes protecting the variety of plant and animal life in an area, a concept known as this.
What is biodiversity?
Beyond basic schooling, mining's societal impact includes education and the development of these practical abilities to help the workforce succeed.
What are skills (or skill development)?
Forget linear thinking! To solve complex sustainability issues, the video suggests using this "out-of-the-box" type of thinking that examines how different elements interact within a whole.
What is systems thinking?
Saying "I do" to rubble! Producing just one 18-carat gold ring generates an astonishing 20 tons of this unfortunate byproduct.
What is mine waste?
Under the "Society" or "People" pillar, mining companies help build roads, bridges, and power lines, collectively known by this 14-letter word.
What is infrastructure?
After a mine closes, the land goes through this "R" process to restore its ecological health so it isn't left as a barren crater.
What is reclamation (or rehabilitation)?
The "Economy" pillar notes that mining is crucial for supplying key raw versions of these, which serve as the basic building blocks for global manufacturing.
What are materials?
he "Planet" dimension of sustainability aims to preserve and regenerate the environment, including these interconnected biological communities.
What are ecosystems?
If Aquaman were a miner, he'd love this long-named technique that uses aqueous solutions to extract and recover metals from ores.
What is hydrometallurgy?
Mining directly benefits local communities by driving this "creation," allowing workers to earn a steady wage and support their families.
What is job creation?
Once land reclamation is complete, the former mine site can be transformed for these, such as setting up agriculture, solar farms, or public parks.
What are new land uses?
"The Grand Challenge" of the mining industry states that resource development must be environmentally responsible and socially this, meaning fair and impartial to all groups.
What is equitable?
True sustainability requires creating this "H" word—a musical-sounding balance where the Social, Environmental, and Economic dimensions work together smoothly.
What is harmonious?
y definition, "hydro" means water or liquid solutions, while this "-urgy" word is the science of extracting and working with metals.
What is metallurgy?
Exporting mined goods globally allows a country to build up its reserves of this, exchanging local money for international currencies.
What is foreign exchange?
The grand goal of aligning mining's positive impacts across the economy, society, and environment is to harness resources to build this kind of "future."
What is a sustainable future?
Ultimately, tackling "The Grand Challenge" means successfully balancing the development of these subterranean resources with the needs of both the planet and its people.
What are mineral resources?