GEO101: Discussion - Diamond Mining's Environmental Impacts

This discussion board post analyzes the environmental and social impacts of diamond mining in Northern Canada, based on an interview with Tracey Williams, a trustee of the Canadian Wilderness Society. The post examines the degradation of the tundra, water contamination, and the impact on First Nation communities near the Ekati mine. It discusses the challenges of remediation efforts, the use of Impact Benefit Agreements, and the debate over conflict-free diamonds. The student concludes that Canadian diamonds are not entirely conflict-free, highlighting the pollution of air, land, and water and its effects on both humans and the aquatic food chain. The post also reflects on the socio-economic impacts of mining, and discusses the effects of mining on traditional lands and watersheds, and challenges the claim that Canadian diamonds are completely “conflict free”.

Geography

1. Tracey Williams is the trustee of the Canadian Wilderness Society and National Parks and has
been living near the community diamond mines since 1999, which has experience of First Nation
communities. The Ekati, in the NWT (Northwest Territories) and Canada was the first diamond
mine in the NWT. According to Tracey Williams, real stress is environmental degradation,
impact on traditional lands and their watersheds. People nearby diamond mines eat Harvested
food from degradted land.
The real contamination in these diamond mines is the impairing water quality on the
tundra. It is a Fragile Permafrost (frozen part) in the middle town of tundra. Where more than
300 people entirely depends upon the diesel generators for the food supply. From this
contamination, in strip mine, many impacts are analyzed such as wastewater, infrastructure and
roads, spills of oil and gas, the oxidizing waste rock piles, and the dust from trucks that driving
up from the pits. Acidification of the water also impacts on the aquatic life and monument.
2. According to Williams’ view, the remediation efforts can be reversed the damage in mining by
"Fixing" the ecological damage to some extent. Traditional knowledge of scientific experts
measures the environment degradation with upholding standards and measurement to control it.
The technical panel of Industrial environmental teams review regular environmental monitoring
reports on the impact of the mine-sites and making sure that the environmental standards have
strictly followed. To reduce the effects of ADM (Acid Mine Drainage) for all life in water,
seriously measure the quality of water at an acceptable PH level. But some damage is not
reversible because to process kimberlite (Rock formation diamonds) specific polymers are toxic
for life.
3. Mines impact on the ecological habitat of people’s lives surrounding the mines, not
availability of water and traditional lands in their watersheds. People who work at mines still
uses that land and eat Harvested food from that land. Yes, it broke up the community because
according to the people IBA (Impact Benefit Agreement) is just a form of bribery. Impact
Benefit Agreement is socio-economic agreements between the aboriginal government and the
company, whose territory is under development and mineral exploration.

4. After reading this article, Canadian diamonds are doesn’t “conflict-free” choice. According to
my opinion on the blood/conflict diamond is that it affects the most pristine places over the
globe. It increases the contamination and pollution of air, land and, water, which affect the
human being and aquatic food-chain.
Newspaper of the New York Times article Northern Canada shows 6 C’s of a
conventional diamond that is ‘Color’, ‘Clarity’, ‘Cut’, ‘Carat weight’, ‘Conflict-free’ and
‘Canadian’. They are marked conflict-free by the’ Federal government' beyond the Process of
Kimberley.