Widely considered one of the oldest industries in the world, the mining and quarrying of granite and similar stones such as marble began as soon as civilizations developed the necessary skills to remove it from the earth.
Used in everything from the largest and most magnificent structures ever erected to your kitchen counter, granite is as diverse in its applications as it is durable.
Granite is a near perfect construction material. It’s aesthetically pleasing, easy to work with, resistant to both heat and cold, and also incredibly resistant to aging. Granite can last for centuries once it is installed, and will hold its shine for generations. It’s also readily available in vast quantities around the world. On top of all this, Granite is structurally stable and very hard, which only adds to its popularity as a building material.
With the almost limitless practical applications and a readily available supply, there seems little reason to question the granite mining industry. But while granite is certainly useful, the mining process is far from sustainable. Who pays the true cost of mining granite?
It is no surprise that there is strong demand for granite due to its versatility and abundance. There are also significant economic benefits to the areas in which granite is mined. If a material is in high demand and there are benefits to retrieving it, what is the negative impact of granite mining?
Noise Pollution
Granite is quarried using explosives and heavy equipment. This is disruptive to the land and those living in the surrounding area, but the biggest negative impact involves those working in the quarries. The noise exposure is high enough to cause severe physical damage, and the use of personal protective equipment is not adequate enough to protect all the workers throughout the industry.
Dust and Air Pollution
Explosives and the act of transporting granite around and out of the quarry lead to dust and air pollution issues. Respiratory problems are common among granite quarry workers, reducing the length and quality of their lives.
Surface and Ground Water Contamination
All mining operations use water, and granite mining is no different. It is used in the extraction and preparation of granite, as well as in the operations of the mining facilities. Surface and groundwater contamination is a well-documented issue for granite mines, potentially affecting the area for generations to come.
Ground Vibrations
Explosives and heavy equipment are constantly vibrating the ground throughout the quarry. This type of disturbance affects many types of plant and animal life, effectively making much of the quarry and the surrounding area unsuitable for living.
Land and Soil Degradation
Mining is particularly damaging to the landscape. The displacement of wildlife and existing vegetation inevitably leads to land and soil degradation, making it almost impossible for the land to bounce back once mine operations are discontinued.
Damage to Plant Life
For the plants that manage to survive in the area, other challenges await them. Granite dust has been proven to reduce the ability of plants to create chlorophyll, essentially choking them. Tropical plants that grow near granite mines are unable to grow to their full potential, reducing their life span and their usefulness in the ecosystem for animals and insects.
Outside of the environmental concerns, granite mining also has substantial sustainability factors that need to be addressed.
Non- Renewable Resource
Even though granite is fairly abundant, it is a non-renewable resource. Eventually, it will be harder and harder to find, and continued mining will become more and more resource intensive.
Water Intensive Manufacturing Process
Quarrying and shaping granite is a very water-intensive process. As access to fresh water becomes scarce, does it make sense to continue to use it to mine granite from the ground?
Carbon Heavy Transportation
Granite is extremely heavy. This is what makes it such a good building material. This also makes it extremely difficult to transport. Granite transportation uses carbon-emitting heavy equipment, trains, and trucks through its entire supply chain.
Village Displacement
Displacing villages for mining operations is a common practice. Villagers are compensated poorly or not at all, and forced to move from their ancestral lands. The cultural significance and impact of these acts cannot be calculated, especially for the people forced to relocate. Thesedisplacements continue to happen, even today.
Worker’s Rights Abuses
In granite mining, just like in other types of mining operations, the welfare of the workforce is rarely considered. Worker’s rights abuses are common and very seldomly reported.
Systemic Health Issues
Health issues of all kinds are found throughout much of the granite mining workforce, and sufficient preventative and protective equipment is rarely available.
When weighing the economic and material benefits of granite mining against the toll it takes on the environment, workers, and the nearby communities, it becomes hard to justify the continued extraction of granite. Are there solutions to these significant challenges? How can the benefits of granite be extracted without the associated harm? Element United has the answer.
Element United is paving the way to make this potential future a reality. Using granite, crypto, and blockchain technology, Element United hopes to turn the tide of this devastating industry. Element United is making it possible for mine operators to choose a more sustainable and environmentally conscious path while still monetizing the assets present in their mines. These products include NFT collections and a browser game to earn Element rewards from the blockchain when it is live. This will allow the mines to digitize their assets instead of bringing them to the surface.
This is how granite mines, cryptocurrency, and blockchain technology can begin the process of protecting the environment and nearby communities while still providing the mining companies with an economic incentive. The future needs clean and sustainable economies to drive growth. Element United is committed to that future and you can be too. Get started today!
