Mines et environnement dans les Amériques : les paradoxes de l’exploitation minière

The mineral wealth of the Americas has played a pivotal role in disseminating the settlements stand in the most hostile regions of the continent. The exploitation of many ore deposits discovered since the sixteenth century has long taken a devastating, predatory character to the environment. It left many legacies such as well and and mine galleries, or large, abandoned opencasts, which are at the origin of a significant water pollution.This mineral wealth is still a reality today, as more than half the value of global ore production comes from the New World. The strong growth in mining since the seventies has been made possible by the development of the exploitation of new open pit deposits. These new mines have an unprecedented impact on the landscape and have given rise to unprecedented opposition and increasing conflict with local communities fearing the negative environmental consequences. Under pressure from community residents and environmental groups, large mining companies gradually had to reduce the environmental impact of their operations and engage in actions to promote the acceptability of their activities.