In Bhopal, India’s Central Chronicle, Indian environmentalist Sunita Narain writes an op-ed about the impact that China’s demand for iron ore is having on the economy, environment and people of the state of Goa:
I wrote last fortnight about how mining in Goa for iron ore was ripping its forests and devastating its people. I wrote of the violence and protests I saw in its villages, where miners were pitted against people angry at the loss of their cultivable lands and their water bodies. I had asked then: what are we doing? I ask this again.
The fact is that Chinese demand for iron ore has increased its price from US $14 per tonne to US $60. This has spurred a black gold rush- mining companies are bidding for areas that were either closed or not opened because they were unprofitable or unviable. In many cases, these mines had not been worked because they were close to villages and companies knew that people would probably protest. Now. none of this matters. The industry says this is boom time- the Chinese are willing to buy low-grade ore, which Goa has aplenty. The Chinese want this ore, as they will blend it with better quality ore. And their appetite is massive. [Full text]
