Mining in the Arctic

       Mining in the Arctic 
          The idea of mining in the Arctic has been thrown out a long time ago because of the large amounts there making it hard to mine. In the Arctic the ice caps are melting; therefore making it much easier to get to the minerals in the soil. Dennis Thomas of Thomas mining associates see the ice melt as a great opportunity for them. He hopes to see half a dozen mines there. Other people are hopping on the bandwagon too.  Other countries such as china are also planning to mine there. There are new mining applications being submitted to many places in the arctic like Greenland an Finland. Laws against mining are being repealed, and licenses to extract radioactive elements like uranium and thorium are being given out. 

           Although mining benefits the mining companies, it threatens the nearby Bristol Bay watershed. The nearby Bristol Bay watershed supports the world's most productive  wild sockeye salmon fishery. Without it there is no say as to what may come of the Alaskan native communities. They live off of salmon! The only mining operation happening right now in Greenland is the Nalunaq gold mine in the South country. This isn't an issue because it has created jobs, but the larger plan for mining is what may cause destruction. The solution to this problem would be for someone to step in and limit the amount of mining there, but it seems as if that won't happen. The people in power there seem to like what will come of the mining, like wealth. If the natives speak up then maybe someone will see an opposition to the mining. I personally think that the world is selfish. They use and use and don't give anything back. They have mined so much everywhere else that they need a new spot to mine. This is the way it always is, and they do not give back. Mining would affect the natives of the arctic and the animals there. I think that people should see the ice caps melting as a negative thing, and NOT a positive one. All they care about is making money. If people a few companies start to mine there, then more will after. Then the issue with the arctic will not be able just saving the animals from the icecaps melting and the changes the heat has on them. It will be about their homes being dug up all around them. 

This is the site where i got the article from.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jul/04/ice-caps-arctic-white-gold-rush?intcmp=239


by Allyson Beetham