Mining, Sustainability, and Religious Actors: International Perspective for International Problems

The mining sector raises a host of controversies: economic, social, ecological, and legal among them. Religious actors can be important catalyzers of dialogue and support for those most directly affected, bringing moral and ethical leadership to promote sustainability and the common good. Ecological impacts are dramatically local, scarring landscapes, contributing to deforestation, and threatening traditional cultures and livelihoods. But the decisions on whether to mine and to manage its effects involve a wide range of actors: mining companies, national leaders, and, though too often in peripheral roles, the local communities. Addressing ecological problems requires a broader vision driven by concerns of rights and equity. Furthermore, deep-sea mining is creating new ecological concerns while operating in international gray areas. This also requires international engagement in order to ensure a sustainable path forward.