Mining companies are starting to develop more mines, especially in Canada, in order to create a positive image and minerals that are not obtained through violence. Though in passing it seems that these mining companies are taking the responsible road by discontinuing their imports from the Congo, the companies are also deceiving investors and consumers by raising their prices by an obscene amount since the minerals are coming from a “clean” mine.

Collon described this new business strategy as project developers who are making headway by harping on the negative image of the Congo in order to boost their own business. This conflict marketing not only deceives the general public, but abuses the Congo in order to push up the price of stocks.

Title: The Coltan Speculators: Down With the Congo!
Author: Michel Collon
Source: [In French], January 14, 2011
Direct Link:  HYPERLINK “http://michelcollon.info/The-coltan-speculators-down-with.html” http://michelcollon.info/The-coltan-speculators-down-with.html
Student Researcher: Elizabeth Michael, Sonoma State University
Faculty Evaluator: Professor Chong-Uk KimSimilar Posts:

• Investing in Conflict – Goldcorp Mining in the Americas
• Internet Surveillance Could Get You Hired or Fired
• The Congo Conflict: Overshadowed In Coverage But Not In Deaths
• Dangerous Plans to Exploit the Congo River Surface Outside of Africa

Greenpeace, a non-governmental environmental organization claimed last week that Indonesia planned to class large areas of its remaining natural forests as “degraded land” in order to cut them down and receive $1billion dollars of climate aid for replanting them with palm trees and biofuel crops. Furthermore, A report from Protection Money [PDF], argues that the forestry and energy sectors are working to influence Indonesia’s national REDD strategy to continue on a business-as-usual expansion model. Expansion plans show that these sectors intend to utilize the Indonesian government’s ambiguous definitions of forests and degraded land to hijack the funds and use them to subsidize ongoing conversion of natural forests to plantations.

There are great social risks attached to the schemes which must also be addressed. There are significant risks that REDD will lead to the privatisation of the world’s forests, transferring them out of the hands of indigenous peoples and local communities and into the hands of bankers and carbon traders, whose only agenda is to make profit.

Student Researcher:  Bertunie Berluce

Faculty Evaluator:  Elliot D. Cohen, Ph.D.

Indian River State College
Sources:

John Vidal, “Oil companies and banks will profit from UN forest protection” Guardian.co.uk schemehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/nov/28/redd-forest-protection-banks-oilSimilar Posts:

• Poorer nations hit with high fees for carbon offset projects
• World Bank Pledges to Save Trees, Then Helps Cut Down Amazon
• World Bank’s Carbon Trade Charade
• Native and Environmental Groups Challenge Canadian Tar Sands Crude

Mountain top removal is the process of first clearing, then blasting roughly 800 feet of rocks and dirt from the peak of the mountain. This allows coal mining companies to dig out the coal buried inside the mountain like the yolk of a soft boiled egg. The debris, often laden with heavy metals, is pushed into valleys where it contaminates water supplies, causes flooding, and can coat entire towns in layers of dust.

Ms. Gunnoe fought for 11 years against one company, Magnum Coal, who began their mining operation on the ridge behind her house in Bob White, West Virginia. Since the operation began, Ms. Gunnoe has lost five acres of her property to flooding. In addition, her water is no longer potable.

Education and awareness, Ms. Gunnoe believes, are the first steps in stopping the devastation of the Appalachian mountains. “There is a 52% chance that when you flip on your light switch, you’re blowing up the mountains where we live at,” Gunnoe said.

As of 2007, it was estimated that 470 mountains were stripped for coal throughout Appalachia. Coal burning power plants also accounted for 40% of the country’s carbon footprint.  Currently, coal provides over half the country’s electricity.

Bill Rainey, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, points out that the coal industry employs 20,000 West Virginians while meeting energy demands across the nation: “We have plenty of coal resources in this country, we can make electricity with it, we can make liquid fuels with it.” He also maintains that coal companies have made “tremendous strides” in cleaning up areas where mountain top removal has occurred.

However, residents like Gunnoe disagree. “Clean coal is a complete and total lie,” she said, “Coal is black through and though.”

Sources:

Voice of America News, June 17, 2009

“Activist Battles US Coal Companies over Mountain Top Removal Practice”

Author: Julia Ritchey

St. Petersburg Times (Florida), April 21, 2009

“Coal Confrontation”

Author: Rovert Trigaux

The Boston Globe, December 26, 2007

“Coal’s Ascent is Igniting a Debate W. Virginians Split Over Costs, Benefits”

Author: John Donnelly and Joseph Williams

Student Researchers: Trisha Himmelein and Emily Schuler

Faculty Instructor: Kevin Howley, Associate Professor of Media Studies, DePauw University

Evaluator: John Caraher, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, DePauw UniversitySimilar Posts:

• Coal vs Wind in West Virginia
• Big Coal Control in Government
• Sexual Discrimination To Gays Legal In West Virginia
• The Scam of “Clean Coal” –CCS

The local communities, traditional owners, and Adnyamathanha Aboriginals are outraged with the Australian government, stating that their voices haven’t been heard during the negotiations for the Four Mile uranium mine, and that Quasar Resources and the Government are simply ignoring their cultural and health concerns.  The other uranium enriched Beverly Mine, located next to the Four Mile Mine has already had a recorded 59 spills of radioactive material since the past decade, according to the South Australian Department of Primary Industries and Resources. Mining U308 is highly dangerous and can cause dermatitis, renal damage and acute necrotic arterial lesions and death.

Title: Secretive US Arms Tycoon behind New Uranium Mine in Australia

Source:  The Sydney Morning Herald      7/16/2009

URL:  http://www.smh.com.au/environment/secretive-arms-tycoon-behind-new-uranium-mine-20090715-dllw.html

Author: Ben Cubby

Student Researcher: Eric Herbert

Faculty Evaluator: Irv Peterson, ENSP

Sonoma State University: Sociology of Media, Fall 2009

Instructor: Peter Phillips,  #04Similar Posts:

• Secretive Arms Tycoon Behind New Uranium Mine
• Scientists say Toxic Blue-green Algae will Only Get Worse in Ohio Lakes
• Are US Forces Using Depleted Uranium in Libya?
• Are US Forces Using Depleted Uranium in Libya?

Goldcorp Inc. mining company is demonstrating North American mining industry’s socially and environmentally destructive practices throughout the hemisphere. Goldcorp, one of the world’s largest gold mining companies, is stationed in Vancouver, B.C., with operations in the U.S., Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and Argentina. Goldcorp in the Americas links mining companies with international finance institutions to increase production of large-scale mining operations, which are the direct cause of deforestation, erosion, water contamination, and water shortages in mining communities. Goldcorp operates mines throughout Central America, including the San Martin and Marlin open pit, cyanide-leaching gold mines. These have contributed to many health and environmental harms in numerous Mayan communities in Guatemala. As mining operations continue to contaminate vital water sources, they also contribute to repression and community tensions. These mines operate without community consent and Goldcorp has not properly addressed community health problems. National and international law requires that governments consult with, and acquire, the consent of communities who will be affected by economic enterprises like mining, but this is not happening in Central America. This systemic industry issue is unknown to many U.S. and Canadian citizens, as many North American investment firms and pension funds are invested in Goldcorp.

“Central America: Winners and losers in the global mining industry” Russell, Grahame Upside Down World, July 2008

“Goldcorp Inc. mining company in Honduras – health and environmental harms” Russell, Grahame, CDHAL.org October 26-31, 2008,

“The mining debate: Who is “anti”-what?” Karen Spring, Rights Action. September 2008,

http://www.rightsaction.org/articles/Mining_debate_100708.htmlSimilar Posts:

• Environmental Racism Continues in U.S.
• Bill to Open Books of Extraction Firms
• Boosting Coltan Prices Outside of the Congo
• A Social Movement In El Salvador Fights Mass Flooding And The Toxic Burning Of Cane Fields.