Knowledge test - The view on society – sustainability and mining

You will find the solutions to the following exercises within this learning unit. Try to complete the exercises independently before looking up the solution.

Exercise

 Task : Societal relevance of sustainability

Explain the societal relevance of sustainability.

Time to complete approx. 20 min.

Exercise

 Task : Understandings of sustainability

Name and explain different understandings of sustainability.

Time to complete approx. 40 min.

Exercise

 Task : Sustainability in mining

Explain the importance and necessity of sustainability in mining.

Time to complete approx. 20 min.

Exercise

 Task : The different positions from an ethical point of view concerning sustainability in mining

Professionals of the state-owned Swedish mining company LKAB argue that the mining activities in Kiruna contribute to the green transition as the rare earths are needed for this. In contrast representatives of the indigenous Sámi counter that instead of excavating new rare earth the recycling rate of rare earth should be improved and that the mining activities are destroying the local biological habitat and compromising Sámi's land rights.

Watch the following report and read the following article. Then discuss the different positions from an ethical point of view concerning sustainability in mining.

Time to complete approx. 50 min.

video

Deutsche Welle (2023, April 22). (dw.com.)
Will Sweden choose money or tradition?

Time to watch 5m26s

Web­source

Rankin, Jennifer (2023, February 5). (theguardian.com).
Article: Why a Swedish town is on the move – one building at a time.

Reading time 10 minutes

Exercise

 Task : Circular economy and doughnut economy

Discuss the following statement on the backdrop of circular economy (and the doughnut economy) by providing pros and cons concerning the approach presented:

"Most things needed for a sustainable future – wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles – are metals-intensive. In the right conditions, metals have the potential to be recycled almost indefinitely but recycling alone will not provide enough materials to meet demand. (…) [However primary supply will likely double] even with improved recycling rates. With this knowledge, we must recognise that there is need for a new understanding of the circular economy; one that is not just focused on materials already in the supply chain but is instead sensitive to both the ways materials are produced and how they are then consumed. For the mining and metals industry this means looking beyond efforts to prevent metals becoming waste to including steps that ensure that these materials are extracted and managed in the right way".

Time to complete approx. 30 min.