Mining
123 cases in 68 countries, 1840–2026. Most cases: United States (16), Venezuela (10), Indonesia (9), Canada (8), Democratic Republic of the Congo (6).
Court accepts interim measure against Barroso lithium mine land easement
Portugal granted a 228-hectare administrative easement for the Barroso lithium mine at Covas do Barroso, and a court accepted a community request to suspend it. At stake is baldios, or common land, held by a local community.
Oak Flat, an Apache sacred site, transferred to Resolution Copper in Arizona
Ownership of Oak Flat, an Apache sacred site of about 2,400 acres in Arizona, was transferred to the copper company Resolution Copper in March 2026. At stake are the sacred site and the land it covers.
US and DRC sign minerals partnership giving US firms first offer on mining sites
The US-DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement gives American companies first right of offer on mining sites in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The cited sources do not set out its environmental terms.
US takes about 15% stake in MP Materials and sets $110/kg rare earth price floor
The US government took about a 15% stake in rare earth producer MP Materials and set a 10-year price floor of $110 per kilogram for NdPr. The cited sources do not set out the environmental effects of the company's operations.
US and Cook Islands deal raises concerns over seabed mining talks
A US–Cook Islands seabed minerals agreement raised concern that a superpower could sway a tiny island's seabed mining decisions. The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of the seabed mining under discussion.
Raja Ampat nickel licences revoked
In June 2025 Indonesia revoked four of five nickel mining permits in the Raja Ampat islands. The state-linked company Gag Nikel kept operating.
Myanmar Kachin heavy rare earth mining and Kok River arsenic
Thai and Mekong River Commission measurements in 2025 found arsenic at 2.5 times the World Health Organization limit at four of five sites on the Kok and Mekong rivers. Reports attributed it mainly to rare earth and gold mining in Myanmar's Shan State.
Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves, World Heritage in Danger: mining permits, gold panning and the funding gap
UNESCO's World Heritage Committee kept the Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves in Niger on the Danger List in 2025 and 2026. Its 2025 decision recorded no current mining permits on the south-eastern boundary; its 2026 decision noted steps to revoke three permits there.
US adds Nevada's Thacker Pass lithium mine to fast-track permitting
The US Interior Department added Nevada's Thacker Pass lithium mine to an accelerated federal permitting program in 2025, and three tribes sued over lack of consultation. The cited sources give no environmental impact findings for the site.
DRC replaces cobalt export ban with 96,600-tonne annual quota
The Democratic Republic of the Congo turned a February 2025 cobalt export ban into a quota of 96,600 tonnes a year for 2026 and 2027, Bankable reported. The IEA linked a rise of about 130% in cobalt prices to the DRC constraint; the cited sources do not state environmental effects of the quota.
LKAB rare earth plan in Sweden would split Sámi reindeer pasture, herders say
Sámi reindeer herders say LKAB's Per Geijer rare earth project will divide their pasture in two, and the company says permitting could take about 10 years. At stake is the reindeer pasture the Per Geijer plan would divide.
US EXIM Bank approves $1.25 billion for Reko Diq copper-gold project
The US Export-Import Bank approved $1.25 billion in financing for the Reko Diq copper-gold project in Balochistan, Pakistan. The cited sources do not set out the environmental or community effects of Reko Diq.
Bolivia's legislature withholds approval of CATL-linked lithium contracts
Bolivia's legislature has not approved lithium contracts with a consortium that includes CATL and with Russia's Uranium One, and the Paz government is reviewing them. The cited sources do not say what the deals would do to nature.
Lead shipped by Trafigura from Nigerian smelters linked to Ogijo poisonings
Lead from Nigerian battery smelters was carried by Trafigura to East Penn, a US battery maker, according to The Examination, and blood tests in Ogijo found lead poisoning. The stake for nature and people is lead in soil and in residents' blood; no compensation is on record.
Indonesia's 2025 mining law change opens mining areas to religious groups without tender
A February 2025 revision of Indonesia's mining law allowed religious organisations and universities to receive mining areas without a tender. The cited sources do not show which areas were allocated or their environmental effects.
Decision approves Waihi North mine under New Zealand conservation land
A 2025 decision approved mining at Waihi North in New Zealand under conservation land, according to a Scoop item. The cited sources do not name the decision-maker or the mine operator.
SLN nickel producer stays afloat with state support after Eramet exit
After Eramet withdrew, SLN stayed in operation with 12 billion CFP francs of state support, Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes reported. The cited sources do not set out the environmental stake.
Zimbabwe to ban export of lithium concentrates from 2027
Zimbabwe is to ban exports of lithium concentrates from January 2027, after an ore ban in 2022, Mining.com reported. The cited sources do not set out what is at stake for nature.
Norway postpones deep-sea mining licensing to 2029 in budget deal
Norway's government postponed licensing for deep-sea mining in its waters until 2029 under a budget agreement. The prime minister described the move as a postponement rather than a permanent halt, so the future of the seabed remains open.
India exempts critical mineral mines from public consultation
India's environment ministry exempted atomic and critical-strategic mineral mines from public consultation on defence grounds in September 2025, and Tamil Nadu asked for the exemption to be withdrawn. A Reasi lithium block auction was annulled twice for lack of bids, and nine more critical mineral blocks were annulled in a seventh round.
68.4% of Port Pirie children had blood lead above 5 µg/dL, SA Health reports
SA Health's 2024 annual report on Port Pirie lead levels found that 68.4% of children were above 5 µg/dL, with the highest levels in ten years for ages 0 to 4. The cited sources do not name the source of the lead.
Syrah declares force majeure at Mozambique graphite mine after unrest
Syrah declared force majeure at its Balama graphite mine in Mozambique because of unrest, and defaulted on US DFC and DOE loans, Club of Mozambique reported. The cited sources do not set out the effect on the local environment or communities.
Cobalt child labour lawsuits against tech firms (DR Congo)
In March 2024 a US appeals court held that buying cobalt from a global supply chain was not participation in a venture using child labour. A Paris prosecutor also decided not to prosecute in a Congo complaint against Apple.
Tamil Nadu sand quarries measured by drone
Records showed 28 licensed sand quarries in Tamil Nadu. A drone and LiDAR survey presented by India's financial-crime unit to the Madras High Court measured an excavated area about five times the licensed area and a volume about seven times the recorded volume.
Indonesian nickel oversupply: BHP Nickel West suspension and the LME green contract
Indonesia supplied about two thirds of global nickel mine output in 2025, much of it processed with captive coal power. Australian producers closed, BHP suspended Nickel West, and the London Metal Exchange declined a separate green nickel contract.
Somaïr nationalisation, Orano's ICSID arbitration and the Niger uranium stock
Niger's military government took over the Somaïr uranium mine at Arlit in June 2025, and Orano is pursuing ICSID arbitration case ARB/25/8, in which a tribunal ordered Niger on 23 September 2025 not to sell Somaïr uranium. Orano put the uranium stock at nearly $310 million in December 2025.
Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex: Barrick–Mali dispute, provisional administration and settlement
Mali and Barrick, which owns 80% of the Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex, disputed taxes, dividends and the mining code from 2023; gold was seized, operations suspended in January 2025 and a provisional administrator ran the complex from June to December 2025. A settlement announced on 24 November 2025 included a payment of about FCFA 143 billion. Barrick's disclosures for the complex's tailings facility and cyanide plant record an "Extreme" consequence classification and cyanide limit exceedances.
SGS audit gives Cobre Panamá mine 88% compliance; environmental groups object
An audit by SGS reported 88% compliance at the Cobre Panamá mine, which has been closed since a 2023 Supreme Court ruling. Environmental groups object to the result.
Akbelen forest defender sentenced after 2023 felling for coal mine
Trees in the Akbelen forest in Turkey were cut in 2023 to widen a coal mining area, and a defender of the forest was later sentenced to prison. The cited sources do not give the area cleared or its effect on wildlife.
Indonesia reopened sea sand exports in 2023; Supreme Court annulled them in 2025
Indonesia lifted a 2003 ban on sea sand exports in 2023, citing sediment management. Fishing communities report lost income, and the Supreme Court struck down the export articles in 2025.
US Congress lifts 2023 mining ban on Minnesota's Boundary Waters
The 2023 mining ban protecting Minnesota's Boundary Waters was removed in 2026 through a Congressional Review Act resolution. At stake: protection of the area from mining pollution.
Moroccan miner Managem says cobalt mine water is safe amid arsenic claims
Managem, operator of the Bou Azzer cobalt mine in Morocco, said the mine water was safe after arsenic contamination was alleged. At stake is water quality near the mine, which the cited sources do not settle.
Codelco and SQM launch Atacama lithium venture extending output to 2060
Codelco and SQM launched a joint lithium company for the Atacama salt flat that extends production to 2060. Atacameño communities have questioned the plan over water, and 18 communities have complained that the salt flat is sinking.
Australia rejects Central Queensland coal mine near Great Barrier Reef
Australia's environment minister blocked a coal mine in Central Queensland near the Great Barrier Reef in February 2023, according to Global Voices. The refusal was reported as the first coal mine refused under the EPBC Act.
Cobre Panamá mine closure
In November 2023 Panama's Supreme Court found the law behind the Cobre Panamá copper mine's concession unconstitutional, and the mine has been closed since. In 2026 reports described a commission proposing talks with the operator, First Quantum, and permission to process stockpiled ore.
Deep-sea mining: TMC, NORI, the NOAA permit and the ISA
The Metals Company, through subsidiaries holding seabed exploration contracts in the Pacific, applied to a US regulator for a commercial recovery permit under a 1980 US law. The International Seabed Authority, which governs the area under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, has not adopted rules for commercial mining.
Jadar lithium project
Serbia's government revoked the planning basis for Rio Tinto's Jadar lithium project in 2022 after mass protests, and the Constitutional Court's 2024 ruling led to its restoration. According to Bloomberg, Rio Tinto suspended the project in November 2025.
Milas–Yatağan olive groves opened to mining (Law 7554, temporary article 45)
A 2025 law added a temporary article to Turkey's Mining Law that opens mapped olive groves in Milas and Yatağan to mining if the trees are moved or an equivalent grove is established. Producers, courts and the Constitutional Court are now involved.
Azovstal, Mariupol and the Sea of Azov, 2022–
The Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol was heavily damaged during the siege of April–May 2022. CEOBS cites pre-war studies that named its wastewater as the largest single pollution source into the Sea of Azov; no post-2022 water data is on record, and Metinvest's applications to the ECHR state no amounts.
Galamsey mining raised turbidity at a Ghana Water plant, cutting output 30%
According to the Ghana News Agency, illegal gold mining, known as galamsey, pushed turbidity at Ghana Water's Sekyere Hemang plant to 8,000–13,000 NTU in 2024, far above the 500 NTU design level, and output fell by 30 percent. The utility and its customers carried the cost, and no compensation from the miners is recorded.
Peru inventories 6,026 mining liabilities, needing over 3,000 million soles
Peru's inventory of environmental liabilities from mining lists 6,026 sites, and the state company AMSAC says more than 3,000 million soles are needed. In Cerro de Pasco, 4 of 5 children were reported with lead poisoning from Centromin's waste.
Pakiri sand mining refused on appeal; applicant seeks Bream Bay consent
New Zealand's Environment Court dismissed an appeal against a refusal of sand extraction at Pakiri, and the company later sought fast-track approval at Bream Bay. The cited sources do not describe the effects of the extraction on the beach or marine life.
Los Cedros mining permits annulled (Ecuador)
In 2021 Ecuador's Constitutional Court annulled mining permits in the Los Cedros forest, finding that they violated the rights of nature. Reports said that legal mining stopped while illegal mining and deforestation continued.
Akbelen forest felling for YK Enerji coal mine (Türkiye)
Trees were felled at Akbelen in 2023 under gendarmerie escort for the coal operations of YK Enerji, a partnership of Limak and İçtaş. A 2025 law later opened mapped olive groves in Milas and Yatağan to mining; court challenges are pending.
Gold mining in Yapacana National Park and the 2023 military evictions
Mining in Yapacana National Park, Amazonas state, covered 2,240 hectares by October 2025 according to MAAP. A military operation in September 2023 dismantled structures and detained 51 people; MAAP recorded renewed mining on the tepui in 2025.
Philippines lifts nine-year moratorium on new mining permits
In April 2021 the Philippines lifted a nine-year moratorium on new mining permits, Mongabay reported. The cited sources do not name the areas or companies affected.
Kvanefjeld project owner seeks up to $11.5bn from Greenland over uranium ban
Greenland banned uranium exploration and production in uranium-bearing deposits in 2021, and the owner of the Kvanefjeld project began an arbitration backed by Burford Capital seeking up to $11.5 billion. The dispute tests whether a state's uranium ban can be challenged through investor claims.
Investor claim over Colombia's Santurbán mining ban yields no compensation
Colombia banned mining in the Santurbán páramo, a high mountain wetland that supplies water to more than 2.5 million people. In July 2024 a tribunal found Colombia responsible for delays in applying the ban but awarded the investor nothing.
Rio Tinto Juukan Gorge destruction
Rio Tinto destroyed rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in Australia by blasting on 24 May 2020. The shelters are reported to have been 46,000 years old.
Taimyr and Kola indigenous peoples and Nornickel: letter, development programme and compensation payments, 2020–2025
After the May 2020 Norilsk diesel spill, indigenous organisations called on Tesla to refuse Nornickel products, and Nornickel announced a development programme, compensation payments and a coordination council. The company reports the programme as completed in 2024; NGOs report that support was made conditional and that Ust-Avam has not received the compensation it requested.
Smelter emissions in Kazakhstan: fines and investment pledges at Kazzinc, Kazakhmys and ERG
Regulators fined metallurgical plants of Kazzinc, Kazakhmys and the ERG group in East Kazakhstan, Karaganda and Pavlodar regions between 2020 and 2026, while the operators announced environmental investment programmes, including more than KZT 108 billion at Kazzinc and KZT 128 billion for ERG's transition to best available techniques.
WTO panel found Indonesia's raw nickel export ban breached rules
A WTO panel ruled in November 2022 that Indonesia's ban on raw nickel ore exports breached WTO rules, in a case brought by the European Union. Indonesia appealed to a body that is not functioning, so the ruling is not final.
Salar de Atacama lithium extraction
Albemarle and SQM extract lithium brine from the Salar de Atacama in Chile; SQM and the state company Codelco have formed a joint company to operate there to 2060. Albemarle's site received a responsible-mining rating and, separately, a regulator's penalty for brine extraction above its limit, which a court upheld in September 2026.
Cerrejón coal mine ruling (Colombia)
On 16 December 2019 Colombia's Constitutional Court protected the rights to health and a healthy environment of the people of the Provincial Indigenous Reserve, a Wayúu community affected by the Cerrejón coal mining project, and ordered limits on coal-dust emissions.
Mali gold mine closures handed to the state: Yatela, Morila and Sadiola closure money
In 2019 SADEX (AngloGold Ashanti/IAMGOLD) agreed to sell its 80% of the Yatela gold mine in Mali for USD 1, with a one-time payment of approximately USD 18.5 million to a state agency and release from rehabilitation and closure obligations; in 2025 Mali's government completed the takeover of Yatela and Morila, citing significant environmental and financial liabilities. At Sadiola, a 2023 technical report estimates closure costs of about USD 88–90 million and records arsenic in waste rock.
Tanzania fines Acacia Mining USD 2.4 million over alleged North Mara pollution
Tanzania fined Acacia Mining USD 2.4 million in 2019 over an alleged leak from the North Mara mine. Barrick says it later invested USD 65 million in treatment.
Kirazlı gold mine (Alamos Gold), Kaz Dağları, Çanakkale
Canadian company Alamos Gold's Kirazlı gold project in the Kaz Dağları area of Çanakkale, Türkiye, lost its operating licence in 2019, drew a USD 1 billion arbitration claim in 2021, and was sold to a Turkish company for USD 470 million in 2025. The number of trees felled is put at between 13,400 and 347,815, depending on the source.
Halmahera nickel complex (IWIP, Weda Bay) and the Hongana Manyawa
Nickel mines and smelters on the Indonesian island of Halmahera overlap the territory of the Hongana Manyawa, some of whom live without contact with the outside world. Climate Rights International and other groups report forest clearance, river pollution and health effects; companies dispute parts of the account.
Artisanal gold in Mali: mercury use and its money (Minamata National Action Plan)
Mali's 2020 National Action Plan under the Minamata Convention records about 33.3 tonnes of mercury used a year in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, a sector that earns about 729 billion FCFA a year, with mercury sold in 10 g balls at 1,500–2,000 FCFA.
Venezuelan gold exports to Turkey and the UAE and US sanctions on Minerven and the Central Bank
The Central Bank of Venezuela sold tens of tonnes of gold to Turkish and Emirati buyers in 2018–2019. The US sanctioned the gold sector, Minerven and the bank in 2018–2019, and in March 2026 issued licences allowing Venezuelan gold into the United States.
Ten Mother Nature activists who campaigned against sand dredging sentenced in Cambodia
Ten Mother Nature activists who campaigned against coastal sand mining were sentenced in July 2024 to six to eight years for plotting, three of them also for insulting the king. In January 2018 two activists who filmed sand ships were jailed and fined; their 2017 arrest was reportedly based on a complaint by Senator Ly Yong Phat, owner of LYP Group.
Brazil reports 570 Yanomami child deaths amid illegal gold mining
A Brazilian minister reported 570 Yanomami child deaths in 2019 to 2022, attributed to mercury, malaria and malnutrition. Congresso em Foco, citing monitoring by the Hutukara Yanomami Association, reported that illegal mining on Yanomami land grew 54% in 2022.
DR Congo's 2018 mining code raises cobalt royalty from 2% to 10%
The 2018 mining code raised the cobalt royalty from 2% to 10% and was signed into law despite talks with large miners. The cited sources do not show the gain reaching local communities or nature.
Malaysia banned sea-sand exports to Singapore in 2018, reported only in 2019
Malaysia banned sea-sand exports to Singapore in October 2018 without public announcement. Sand mining in the Mekong delta, which a counterfactual model links to bed lowering, is one of the pressures on the delta.
Almalyk MMC copper expansion: export-credit and bank financing, and a 48 billion soum environmental compensation demand
Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex is expanding its Yoshlik I copper project with foreign bank financing, including a US$ 2.55 billion KfW IPEX-Bank mandate and a UK Export Finance guarantee. In April 2026 the environmental regulator demanded 48 billion soums in compensation after an Ecopolice raid in which it named hazardous waste stored in the open and wastewater discharged into the Angren River.
El Salvador lifts its 2017 ban on metal mining
El Salvador lifted its 2017 ban on metal mining in December 2024, a reversal ACI Prensa reported. The cited sources give no environmental assessment for the areas now open to mining.
Kolwezi forced evictions (Cité Gécamines, DRC)
Amnesty International and a Congolese rights group documented forced evictions around six copper and cobalt projects near Kolwezi, and reported about 39,000 residents of Cité Gécamines under threat from a Zijin–Gécamines mine.
Daldykan River turns red near Norilsk, September 2016
The Daldykan River near Norilsk was reported red in September 2016. Nornickel attributed the colouring to a dike overflow after heavy rain at the Nadezhda plant's tailings system; the only payment on record is an administrative fine of RUB 30,000.
Persian Gulf and Oman Sea desalinated water transfer to Kerman, Yazd and Isfahan
A pipeline and desalination programme carries seawater from the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea to mines and steel plants in Kerman, Yazd and Isfahan, financed by the National Development Fund, Iranian banks and the mining and steel companies that receive most of the water. The first 850 km line was reported at US$1 billion for 180 mcm per year.
Gold mining inside Canaima National Park
Mining has expanded inside Canaima National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bolívar state where mining is prohibited. NGO estimates of the area affected rose from 1,033 hectares (2020) to 1,852 hectares (2026).
Siembra Minera: the merged Brisas–Cristinas area in the Orinoco Mining Arc, the 2022 revocation and Gold Reserve's new arbitration
The Imataca land on which permits were denied or revoked in 2008 in the name of the forest was placed in a state-majority mixed company in 2016, which obtained an environmental permit for early works. Its mining rights were revoked in 2022, and Gold Reserve claims over US$7 billion in an ICSID arbitration while negotiating a return under Venezuela's 2026 mining law.
EIA report examines Dall's porpoise hunt in Iwate, Japan
An Environmental Investigation Agency report, 'Stop the Dall's Disaster', covers the Dall's porpoise hunt in Iwate, Japan, in 2016 to 2018. The sources give no verified catch figures for Iwate, so the size of the hunt is not established here.
Isle de Jean Charles relocation and a $744.6m Chevron coastal-loss verdict
Residents moved from Isle de Jean Charles, an island that has lost 98% of its land since 1955, with money from a $98 million federal grant. A Louisiana jury ordered Chevron to pay $744.6 million over coastal land loss, but no payment has been made.
El Salvador won Pac Rim claim; 2017 metal mining ban repealed in 2024
El Salvador won the 2016 arbitration brought by Pac Rim, an OceanaGold subsidiary, over its metal mining ban, and received $8 million in costs. The legislative assembly repealed the 2017 ban in December 2024, with 57 of 60 seats voting for repeal.
Nornickel Sulphur Programme: SO2 targets, spending and measured emissions at Norilsk and Kola
Nornickel has published successive SO2 reduction targets and investment totals for its Norilsk and Kola smelters since 2015. Company-reported Norilsk emissions were 1,146 kt in 2025 against 1,854 kt in 2015; NASA's satellite catalogue lists different values for the same years.
Burkina Faso mine rehabilitation fund collected 29.59% of expected contributions in 2023 and 49.55% in 2024
Industrial mines, semi-mechanised mines and industrial quarries in Burkina Faso pay into the FRFM, a fund for rehabilitating land affected by extraction. The fund collected CFA 7.22bn of CFA 24.39bn expected in 2023 and CFA 13.73bn of CFA 27.71bn in 2024; the government announced firmness toward non-paying operators.
Tumeremo killings and armed control of gold mines in Bolívar
On 4 March 2016 at least 17 people were killed near the Bulla de Atenas gold mine in Bolívar state. Twelve alleged members of the El Topo sindicato were charged; no verdict is on record. UN bodies describe armed groups collecting a share of mined ore across the Orinoco Mining Arc.
Entre Ríos, which bans fracking, mines silica sand for Vaca Muerta wells
Argentina's Entre Ríos province, which bans fracking on its own territory, supplied about 5 million tonnes of silica sand for Vaca Muerta, Canal26 reported in September 2026. Quarries draw about 2 million litres of groundwater per hour, and the Paraná delta wetlands are at stake.
Lannion Bay shell-sand plan dropped after public resistance
A permitted shell-sand dredging plan in Lannion Bay, France, was dropped in 2019 after public resistance. The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects the dredging would have had.
Brazil's 2015 mining code draft was created on Vale and BHP's law firm's computer
A 2015 draft of Brazil's mining code was created on a computer at a law firm acting for Vale and BHP, according to ISA and BBC Brasil. The text was changed at least 100 times, which bears on who shapes the rules for mining in Brazil.
Eskom advances tied to Tegeta coal mine purchase, South African inquiry finds
A South African commission found that Eskom advances were tied to the sale of the Optimum coal mine to Tegeta, a company linked to a business family. At stake are public funds, which reportedly were paid by Eskom and borne by taxpayers.
Trade rules curb green industrial policy; WTO rules against Indonesia nickel ban
Trade challenges have struck down several green industrial policies, including India's solar local-content rule and Ontario's renewable tariff. A WTO panel also ruled against Indonesia's raw nickel export ban, and Public Citizen counts only two successful general-exception defences out of 48.
Harita Nickel, Kawasi chromium-6 water and sago loss (Obi Island)
An April 2025 investigation reported chromium-6 in Kawasi village’s drinking-water source above Indonesia’s limit, next to Harita Group’s nickel operations on Obi Island. Harita disputes the findings; a 2026 report recorded a fall in sago palm area in the district.
China's Ganzhou rare earth clean-up estimated at 38 billion yuan
A preliminary 2012 estimate by China's deputy minister of industry put the clean-up of rare earth pollution in Ganzhou at 38 billion yuan, covering 302 abandoned mines on about 97 km2. In Yichun, thallium in drinking water exceeded limits in November 2022 and lithium companies were investigated.
The Metals Company deep-sea nodule mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (NOAA permit route)
The Metals Company sought a commercial seabed mining permit from the US regulator NOAA for about 65,000 km² of the Pacific, outside the rule-making of the International Seabed Authority. A study of its 2022 test run found 37% fewer animals in the collector tracks two months later.
Orinoco Mining Arc: decree, state gold business and measured harm
A February 2016 presidential decree opened a 111,843.70 km² zone south of the Orinoco to state-led mining of gold, diamonds, coltan, iron and bauxite. UN bodies reported an expansion of mining outside authorisation, mercury exposure among downstream Indigenous communities and no published environmental budget.
Colombian regulator fines Prodeco for breaches at Calenturitas coal mine
Colombia's environmental licensing authority, ANLA, fined Grupo Prodeco for breaches at the Calenturitas coal mine from 2010 to 2018. The cited sources do not describe any environmental damage from those breaches.
Doe Run agreed to spend 65 million dollars to fix Herculaneum air and water violations
The US Justice Department said in 2010 that Doe Run, owned by Renco, agreed to spend 65 million dollars to correct air and water violations at its Herculaneum lead smelter in Missouri. The cited sources do not describe the effects on the surrounding environment or residents.
Mkuju River uranium mine and the Selous boundary change
In 2012 the World Heritage Committee approved a change to the boundary of Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve so that a uranium mine could be developed, calling the decision exceptional. A pilot processing plant opened in July 2025.
Mongolia's 2009 ban on mining at river headwaters and in forests: licence cancellations, compensation duty, 2015 amendment and artisanal gold-mining programmes
A law adopted on 16 July 2009 banned mineral exploration and mining at river headwaters, in water protection zones and in forests, and made the government pay compensation to holders whose licences were cancelled. An amendment in February 2015 let existing holders inside the zones apply to continue.
Vale and Rio Tinto's Riversdale move households to make way for Tete coal mines
Vale moved 1,365 households in Tete province in 2009 and 2010, and Riversdale moved 84, according to Human Rights Watch. At Cateme at least 83 families lost usable fields, and a promised second hectare had not been provided by 2013.
Marange diamonds and the Kimberley Process (Zimbabwe)
Human Rights Watch reported that soldiers killed more than 200 miners at the Marange diamond field in 2008. The Kimberley Process approved Marange exports in 2011, because its definition of a conflict diamond covers only rebel financing.
Sudan gold: mercury and cyanide in mining, and the wartime gold trade
Artisanal gold mining and tailings processing in Sudan use mercury and cyanide; sampling at the Abu Hamad mining market in January 2023 measured mercury in soil up to 34.8 mg/kg. After the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in 2023, the US Treasury designated gold-linked companies and said that gold had become a source of revenue for the RSF.
Coastal sand extraction on the Boumerdès beaches (Cap Djinet, Zemmouri)
Algerian law bans extraction of sand from beaches and adjacent zones that contribute to their balance, with a fine of DA 200,000 to 2,000,000. Press reports from 2008 to 2020 describe sand removal and seizures on the Boumerdès coast; no court judgment with a fine for Cap Djinet is on record.
Las Cristinas gold project: 2008 permit denial in the Imataca reserve, Crystallex ICSID award and court-ordered sale of CITGO's parent
Venezuela denied an environmental permit for the Las Cristinas gold mine in 2008, citing damage to the Imataca forest and global warming. An investment tribunal found the denial arbitrary and awarded Crystallex US$1,202 million plus interest, and a US court later approved a US$5.892 billion sale of CITGO's parent company to pay judgments.
Rusoro Mining award for the El Callao gold mines: Venezuela's unquantified natural-resource counterclaim and Rusoro's role in the CITGO sale
An ICSID tribunal awarded Rusoro Mining US$966.5 million for Venezuela's 2011 nationalisation of its gold mines and declared that it lacked jurisdiction over Venezuela's counterclaim for damage to natural resources, which Venezuela had not quantified. Rusoro's judgment of about US$1.569 billion is discharged inside the court-approved CITGO sale.
Simandou iron ore project, Guinea
Rights to Simandou blocks 1 and 2 passed from Rio Tinto to BSGR in 2008; a Geneva court convicted BSGR's owner of bribery in 2021 and Rio Tinto settled a US SEC case over consultant payments in 2023. The first ore reached China in January 2026, and reports from the railway corridor record lost fields and displaced wildlife.
Mekong sand mining (Cambodia, Vietnam)
Sand is dredged from the Mekong in Cambodia and Vietnam for construction, roads and land infill. Researchers estimate extraction far above natural replenishment; records of volumes, licences and exports differ between declarations and measurements.
Cambodian sand exports to Singapore (Koh Kong, Mekong, Bassac)
Singapore's recorded sand imports from Cambodia for 2007 to 2015 were 72.7 million tonnes; Cambodia recorded exports of 2.8 million tonnes. Sand licences on the Koh Kong coast, the Mekong and the Bassac went to firms linked to senators and officials, and activists who documented the dredging were jailed.
Brisas gold-copper project: 2008 revocation of the environmental permit in Imataca and Gold Reserve's ICSID award
Venezuela revoked the environmental construction permit for the Brisas project on 14 April 2008 for reasons of public order, citing protection of the environment and local populations in Imataca. An ICSID tribunal awarded Gold Reserve US$713,032,000 plus interest for breach of fair and equitable treatment in 2014.
Germany closes its last hard coal mine, Prosper-Haniel, in 2018
Germany closed its last hard coal mine, Prosper-Haniel in Bottrop, on 21 December 2018, after a 2007 decision to end subsidies. Clean Energy Wire reported that more than 90% of the hard coal Germany used was imported.
Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine: Gobi water, Undai River diversion, herder complaints and project finance
Oyu Tolgoi, a copper-gold mine in Mongolia's South Gobi, draws groundwater from the Gunii Hooloi aquifer and rerouted the ephemeral Undai River around its open pit. Herders complained to the IFC/MIGA accountability office and to the EBRD, and a US$4.4 billion project finance package was signed on 15 December 2015.
Study estimates 2,000 tonnes of uranium in DR Congo cobalt exports
Investigators estimate that more than 2,000 tonnes of natural uranium were embedded in DR Congo cobalt exports from 2000 to 2024. The estimate concerns radioactive material in the battery metal supply chain.
Giant Mine cleanup cost in Yellowknife rose to 4.38 billion Canadian dollars
The federal cost of cleaning up Yellowknife's Giant Mine rose to 4.38 billion Canadian dollars in 2022, all of it public money, Cabin Radio reported. Arsenic is to be frozen, and perpetual upkeep is required.
La Oroya smelter ruling (Peru)
In March 2024 the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held the Peruvian state responsible for pollution from the La Oroya metallurgical complex and for a lack of oversight. A separate arbitration claim of at least US$800 million by Renco against Peru was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.
Zambia voids copper development agreements and raises mining royalty
Copper development agreements gave Zambian mining firms 10 to 20 years of stability and a 0.6 percent royalty until 2008, when the government voided them by law. The sources record no environmental effect of the change.
Canaima National Park: fire suppression for the Guri catchment, mining pressure and the UNESCO decisions
The state power utility has run a fire suppression programme in Canaima National Park to protect the forests that feed the Guri dam. A Landsat study measured 106,000 hectares burned in 2015–2016, the State Party reported 204 hectares for a later period, and the World Heritage Committee has recorded recurring fires and mining inside the park.
Hintze Ribeiro bridge collapse linked to river sand dredging
IntechOpen identified 25 years of sand dredging and five successive floods as the main causes of the Hintze Ribeiro bridge collapse in Portugal. The cited sources do not describe the wider environmental stake.
Arlit and Akokan uranium waste: Cominak closure, remediation provision and radioactivity measurements
The Cominak underground uranium mine in northern Niger stopped production on 31 March 2021 and left about 20 million tonnes of waste beside the towns of Arlit and Akokan. Remediation was reported at €150 million, Orano kept a €70 million provision after losing control in December 2024, and the works were suspended.
Boké bauxite mining and the CBG expansion
Bauxite mines in Guinea's Boké region took farmland and affected water for nearby villages, according to Human Rights Watch, Inclusive Development International and Reuters. A 2016 expansion loan to Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée was financed in part by IFC and DFC, and 13 villages complained to the IFC's accountability office in 2019.
Study attributes habitat loss in Bahrain to reclamation and sand dredging
A study indexed by FAO AGRIS found that Bahrain's land area grew by 91 square kilometres through reclamation between 1963 and 2008. It attributes about 153.58 square kilometres of habitat loss to ten reclamation and dredging schemes.
Canada's Giant Mine arsenic cleanup cost rises to CAD 4.38 billion
The federal cost of cleaning up the former Giant Mine in Yellowknife has reached CAD 4.38 billion. About 237,000 tonnes of arsenic are to be frozen, with cooling and monitoring needed indefinitely.
Nauru and Banaba phosphate mining compensation
Phosphate from Nauru and Banaba (now part of Kiribati) was sold at half the world price between 1920 and 1968, according to Te Ara. Britain and New Zealand gave A$10 million, according to RNZ; a larger Australian payment and an ex gratia payment for Banaba are reported only in summary-level sources.
Peruvian guano trade and the Gibbs family
Peru exported guano from its coastal islands from the 1840s and later defaulted on its debts. A British estate bought with guano wealth was acquired by the National Trust in 2002 with a public grant of GBP 17.425 million. Guano bird numbers stood at 529,400 in January 2025.
Myanmar rare earth mining districts lost 32,720 hectares of tree cover
Satellite data reported by Mongabay show 32,720 hectares of tree cover lost in Myanmar's rare earth mining districts after the coup. Global Witness reported that China's imports from Myanmar more than doubled between 2021 and 2023.
Kyrgyzstan takes control of Kumtor gold mine amid penalty dispute
Kyrgyzstan took control of the Kumtor gold mine from Centerra Gold, after an environmental penalty of about US$3 billion became a bargaining point. RFE/RL reported a cyanide spill at the mine about which residents were not informed for five hours.
Sulawesi 'green nickel' runs on coal power; respiratory infections rose
Nickel processing in Sulawesi relies on 6,965 MW of coal power, according to a May 2025 Mongabay Indonesia report. Respiratory tract infection cases in the area reportedly rose from 85 to 549.
Kabwe lead-poisoning claim against Anglo American is under appeal in South Africa
Leigh Day reported that more than 95% of Kabwe's children have high blood lead levels and that no payment has been made. Amnesty International put the number of people in Kabwe at about 140,000 and said the company is shifting responsibility to others.
UNEP estimate: about 2,000 tons of depleted uranium used in Iraq
Noon Post, citing a UNEP estimate, reported that about 2,000 tons of depleted uranium were used in Iraq. The cited sources do not describe any completed clean-up.
Village council decisions on Hasdeo coal mine reported irregular
Sanctuary Nature Foundation reported that village council decisions on the Hasdeo coal mine were irregular. The cited sources do not measure the forest affected by the mine, so the stake for nature is not quantified.
Uganda permits sand extraction in Lwera wetland while banning lake dredging
Uganda's NEMA banned sand dredging in Lake Victoria but allowed extraction in the Lwera wetland, AP reported. The cited sources do not describe the ecological damage to the wetland.
Tribunal awards Eco Oro nothing over Colombia's Santurbán mining ban
Colombia banned mining in the Santurbán páramo, a high-mountain wetland that supplies water to more than 2.5 million people. On 15 July 2024 a tribunal found the ban legitimate, held Colombia responsible for implementation delays, and awarded Eco Oro no compensation because it could not prove its loss.
Gabriel Resources ordered to pay Romania about $10m costs over Roşia Montană
An ICSID tribunal ruled for Romania on 8 March 2024 in the dispute over the Roşia Montană gold mine, and Gabriel Resources was ordered to pay about $10 million in costs. The company has applied to annul the award, so the dispute over the gold mine remains open.