Ethics in Mining

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Latest revision as of 13:00, 26 March 2025

About this book

The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the use of energy sources as a means of exerting political and social pressure dramatically illustrate the importance of raw materials. This current example of energy supply is exemplary for a large number of raw materials that play a key role in our economic and social lives. The global demand for raw materials is constantly growing. Take metal raw materials, rare earths and industrial minerals, for example, which are needed to maintain our standard of living. The extraction of raw materials and their supply chains have global dimensions and affect not only economic and political interests, but also the fundamental ethical and moral concerns of affected communities.

Raw materials engineers plan, organise and monitor the extraction of raw materials. Extractive engineers work in a field of tension between technical feasibility, economic profitability, legal protection and ecological and social responsibility. However, the training of raw materials engineers has so far lacked the teaching of basic ethical knowledge that would enable future engineers to recognise and evaluate ethically questionable situations and form their own sound judgement.

The following chapters aim to help close this gap and invite engineers and other interested parties - both in science and practice as well as in education or in the profession - to deal with ethical issues in the raw materials sector. Fundamental issues, practices in the extractive industry and the challenges it faces are highlighted. These will be made tangible using case studies.

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-Der russische Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine und die Verwendung von Energieträgern als politisch-gesellschaftliches Druckmittel zeigen auf dramatische Weise die Bedeutung von Rohstoffen.
+The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the use of energy sources as a means of exerting political and social pressure dramatically illustrate the importance of raw materials.
+This current example of energy supply is exemplary for a large number of raw materials that play a key role in our economic and social lives. The global demand for raw materials is constantly growing. Take metal raw materials, rare earths and industrial minerals, for example, which are needed to maintain our standard of living. The extraction of raw materials and their supply chains have global dimensions and affect not only economic and political interests, but also the fundamental ethical and moral concerns of affected communities.
-Dieses aktuelle Beispiel der Energieversorgung steht dabei exemplarisch für eine Vielzahl von Rohstoffen, die in unserem wirtschaftlichen und gesellschaftlichen Leben eine wesentliche Rolle spielen. Die globale Nachfrage nach Rohstoffen wächst stetig. Man denke etwa an Metallrohstoffe, Seltene Erden und Industrieminerale, die für den Erhalt unseres Lebensstandards gebraucht werden. Die Gewinnung von Rohstoffen und deren Lieferketten haben globale Dimensionen und sie tangieren dabei nicht nur wirtschaftlich-politische Interessen, sondern grundlegend auch ethisch-moralische Belange betroffener Gemeinschaften. Rohstoffingenieur:innen planen, organisieren und überwachen die Gewinnung von Rohstoffen. Dabei arbeiten Rohstoffingenieur:innen in einem Spannungsfeld zwischen technischer Machbarkeit, wirtschaftlicher Rentabilität, rechtlicher Absicherung und ökologischer und sozialer Verantwortung. Jedoch fehlte in der Ausbildung von Rohstoffingenieur:innen bisher die Vermittlung ethischer Grundkenntnisse, die die angehenden Ingenieur:innen dazu befähigen, ethisch fragwürdige Situationen zu erkennen, zu bewerten und sich ein eigenes belastbares Urteil zu bilden. Um diese Lücke zu schließen möchten die folgenden Kapitel einen Beitrag leisten und Ingenieur:innen und andere Interessierte – sowohl in Wissenschaft und Praxis als auch in Ausbildung oder im Beruf – dazu einladen, sich mit ethischen Fragen im Rohstoffsektor auseinanderzusetzen. Dabei werden Grundsatzfragen, Praktiken der Rohstoffindustrie und ihre Herausforderungen beleuchtet. Diese werden anhand von Fallbeispielen greifbar gemacht.
+Raw materials engineers plan, organise and monitor the extraction of raw materials. Extractive engineers work in a field of tension between technical feasibility, economic profitability, legal protection and ecological and social responsibility. However, the training of raw materials engineers has so far lacked the teaching of basic ethical knowledge that would enable future engineers to recognise and evaluate ethically questionable situations and form their own sound judgement.
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+The following chapters aim to help close this gap and invite engineers and other interested parties - both in science and practice as well as in education or in the profession - to deal with ethical issues in the raw materials sector. Fundamental issues, practices in the extractive industry and the challenges it faces are highlighted. These will be made tangible using case studies.
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+[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBj9cdsk1cY Mehr als Technik: Ethics in Mining]<br>YouTube – Berliner Hochschule für Technik (BHT)</loop_area></loop_print>