Mineral Exploration is the official publication of the Association of Mineral Exploration British Columbia.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/225045
the poorest people have found some of the richest mines in Canada, proving that exploration is an equal-opportunity quest. Sadly, this reason doesn't apply to countries where corruption and tyranny stifle initiative. In that vein, Canadians should welcome more domestic mines to foster self-reliance in a politically unstable world. A mine in hand is worth two in a faraway bush. Mines are also needed to retain Canada's status as a centre of mining excellence, just as we need backyard ice rinks to stay competitive in hockey. This status wasn't earned on the bench. Canadian mines are the most challenging in the world and a testament to sharp problem-solving skills. NIMBYs are no slouches either. They often portray mining as the epitome of an unsustainable industry, forgetting that mining has sustained human life for millennia. The skills required to find mines are transferable over geography and have evolved over generations. Simply put, mines beget new mines, which beget mining camps. We need more mines – not fewer – to ensure that mining is sustainable. The modern world would come to an apocalyptic halt without minerals and metals. planes, trains and automobiles would stop running. stores and businesses would close. Some anti-mining activists believe humans led idyllic lives before industrialization and see no need for the developing world to pursue development. The only antidote for such ignorance from presumably educated people is time travel back to the Dark Ages, or a few weeks of herding goats and hoeing corn. As astronomer Carl Sagan noted, "We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology." That could change if we had more mines and people saw firsthand how technology and science have made them safer, more productive and environmentally sound. Yet another reason for advocating mine development is that mineral deposits are rare and increasingly difficult to find. If you found one of the best, would you want it locked away forever? Not likely. Stewardship of rare resources means considering the needs of future generations. Finally, mines help people connect with nature. Activists often claim that a mine would endanger a specific lake, river or wilderness, which they elevate to reverential status. But nature doesn't play favourites. A mineral deposit is as natural as the landscape that surrounds it and no less deserving of reverence. If people saw them as 100 per cent organic gifts of nature, we'd probably have a lot more mines. ■ w i n t e r 2 013 p16-19_Top10.indd 19 19 13-11-27 9:57 AM