Abstract: Environmental Impact of Exploitation of Mineral and Energy Resources

Essam E. El-Hinnawi

Mineral and energy resources long have been viewed as essential ingredients to meet our basic needs and to stimulate and support economic growth and our standard of living. Recently, there has been an increasing awareness about the environmental impacts of the exploitation of these resources and a realization that resources are finite and should be regarded as depleting assets. This realization has triggered a reexamination of the policies of exploitation of mineral and energy resources in many countries, with a special emphasis on conservation measures.

The rational exploitation of mineral and energy resources has several beneficial economic and environmental consequences. It will allow the earth's limited resource base of high-quality materials to be stretched farther, and will contribute to the reduction of the environmental degradation associated with all current production technologies. Conservation does not mean going without; it means going farther with what we have. The question, "How much minerals and fuel do we have?" must be joined by the question, "How well are we using them?" In this respect, the development of appropriate and environmentally sound technologies for the exploitation of mineral and energy resources is of primary importance.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90962©1978 AAPG 2nd Circum-Pacific Energy and Minerals Resource Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii