The sustainability of China's major mining cities

The aim of this paper is to identify principal factors controlling the Degree of Sustainable Development of Mineral Resources (DSDMR) of mining cities and then to measure their DSDMR and reveal their developing trends. To do this, 78 Chinese mining cities are used as an example. These cities are classified on a hierarchical level of the DSDMR in order to support decision-making of sustainable development. Six principal factors controlling the DSDMR are recognized using factor analysis. They are used to measure the DSDMR of the Chinese mining cities and their developing trends. The results show that in terms of the type of mineral resources, the DSDMR decreases from petroleum to multi-resources to non-metal to coal to metal cities. It decreases also from middle to old to young aged cities and from eastern to central to western cities in geographical location. In addition, large and very large cities have higher DSDMR values than middle- and small-sized cities. These Chinese mining cities are classified into six clusters by cluster analysis, which forms the basis for policy making.     

矿业城市的发展研究与对策——以昆明市东川区为例

东川是依托矿产资源开发利用而兴建起来的城市，其经济结构属于典型的矿业依赖性经济，随着铜资源的耗竭，经济发展停滞，城市散失可持续发展能力。矿业城市的经济发展，关键是将单一的矿业经济转化为矿产业与非矿产业并举的多元型经济结构。现以云南省昆明市东川区为例，对其发展特征进行分析，揭示矿业城市的发展对策，为此类城市的发展提供思路。     

矿区工业旅游资源开发的SWOT分析——以四川省嘉阳煤矿为例

随着矿区矿产资源的枯竭,大多数矿区正在积极寻求可持续的发展道路。矿区工业旅游资源的开发利用,将从一个全新的角度促进矿区的可持续发展。在理解矿区工业旅游内涵及意义的基础上,借助SWOT分析法,对四川省嘉阳煤矿工业旅游资源的优势、劣势、机遇及威胁进行了全面分析,以期为嘉阳矿区工业旅游资源的开发利用和对嘉阳矿区社会经济的可持续发展提供参考依据。     

低碳经济背景下云南矿业可持续发展对策研究

低碳经济是以＂低能耗、低污染、低排放＂为主要特征的一种经济发展模式。对矿业而论,低碳型矿业是今后发展的必然趋势,但目前云南矿业是＂高消耗、高排放、低利用＂的粗放型发展模式。基于云南矿业的特点及制约因素的分析,提出其可持续发展对策,包括寻求最优开采率、发展矿产资源的深加工、进行企业结构调整、增加集约程度和矿产资源多元化利用、促进废物资源化等。其中,特别要关注尾矿的资源化利用、矿山生态环境的植物修复和煤炭资源的清洁生产。     

成都市可持续发展的功能测试及其建设对策

本文从生产力、稳定性、维持性和公正性四个方面对成都市的可持续发展进行了定量化分析;在充分考虑成都经济与环境发展现状和水平的基础上,设置了成都市可持续发展经济增长与效益、人口及生活质量、资源与环境、社会稳定与社会保障和可持续发展能力五个层次的41项目标;并着重从产业经济、土地资源利用与保护、环境保护和城市集约化管理等方面提出了成都可持续发展的建议和对策。     

The Environmental sustainability of mining in Australia: key mega-trends and looming constraints

At first ‘sustainable mining’ could be perceived as a paradox—minerals are widely held to be finite resources with rising consumption causing pressure on known resources. The true sustainability of mineral resources, however, is a much more complex picture and involves exploration, technology, economics, social and environmental issues, and advancing scientific knowledge—predicting future sustainability is therefore not a simple task. This paper presents the results from a landmark study on historical trends in Australian mining, including ore milled, ore grades, open cut versus underground mining, overburden/waste rock and economic resources. When complete data sets are compiled for specific metals, particular issues stand out with respect to sustainability—technological breakthroughs (e.g. flotation, carbon-in-pulp), new discoveries (e.g. uranium or U), price changes (e.g. Au, boom/bust cycles), social issues (e.g. strikes), etc. All of these issues are of prime importance in moving towards a semi-quantitative sustainability model of mineral resources and the mining industry. For the future, critical issues will continue to be declining ore grades (also ore quality and impurities), increased waste rock and associated liabilities, known economic resources, potential breakthrough technologies, and broader environmental constraints (e.g. carbon costs, water). For this latter area, many companies now report annually on sustainability performance—facilitating analysis of environmental sustainability with respect to production performance. By linking these two commonly disparate aspects—mining production and environmental/sustainability data—it becomes possible to better understand environmental sustainability and predict future constraints such as water requirements, greenhouse emissions, energy and reagent inputs, and the like. This paper will therefore present a range of fundamental data and issues which help towards quantifying the resource and environmental sustainability of mining—with critical implications for the mining industry and society as a whole.     

The case of artisanal mining in Bolivia: Local participatory development and mining investment opportunities

Despite the buoyant expansion of Latin America's mining sector, the small-scale mining sub-sector remains marginalized. For many countries with small-scale mining resources, the way forward to sustainable mining development is not clear. Activities, in far too many cases, have led to environmental damage, social inequity and political violence among mining communities. This article, through a case study of the Bolivian Altiplano, seeks to advance the understanding of the conditions that drive mining communities into the chain of events of impoverishment associated with environmental damage. It also examines the opportunities for sustainable human development among these communities. In Bolivia's mining sector, social inequity is pervasive and holds the mineral resources captive. This situation is further aggravated by the fact that solutions, in the short term, are uncertain. Unresolved social inequity compromises foreign direct investments since social considerations are becoming increasingly important to mining corporations when deciding whether to invest. This article outlines a preliminary strategy to move forward on social inequity. The strategy revolves mainly around implementing alternative sustainable livelihoods with the participation of the government (central and local), the private sector, NGOs and donors as facilitators and partners. Its aim is to reduce the number of families eking out a living from artisanal mining in order to enhance the viability of small-scale mining. It is hoped that, as social inequity decreases throughout the sector, the increased stability will enable stakeholders to consider foreign direct investments within the framework of the country's sustainable human development goals.     

湘西州矿业可持续发展的影响因素及对策研究

湘西州矿业在可持续发展的过程中有其自身的特点和要求.通过分析湘西州矿业可持续发展的现状和特点,从经济、资源、环境和智力四个方面出发对影响矿业可持续发展的四个因素做了统计分析.依据统计分析的结论,提出了湘西州矿业可持续发展的具体政策建议,包括引导矿业资源均衡开发利用、加强矿业环境保护、提高矿业企业的综合经济实力和重视矿业智力水平的提升等.     

Mining and sustainable development: considerations for minerals supply

Sustainable development involves meeting the needs of human societies while maintaining viable biological and physical Earth systems. The needs include minerals: metals, fuels, industrial and construction materials. There will continue to be considerable demand for virgin mineral resources, even if levels of recycling and efficiency of use are optimal, and rates of population growth and globalisation decrease significantly. This article aims to stimulate debate on strategic issues for minerals supply. While the world has considerable stocks of mineral resources overall, international considerations of the environmental and social aspects of sustainable development are beginning to result in limitations on where mining will be conducted and what types of deposits will be mined. Current and emerging trends favour large mines in parts of the world where mining can be conducted within acceptable limits of environmental and social impact. Finding new deposits that meet such criteria will be all the more challenging given a disturbing global decline in the rate of discovery of major economic resources over the last decade, and the decreasing land area available for exploration and mining.
To attract responsible exploration and mining, governments of mining nations will need to provide: regional-scale geo-scientific datasets as required to attract and guide future generations of exploration; resource access through multiple and sequential land use regimes, and frameworks for dealing with indigenous peoples' issues; and arrangements for consideration of mining proposals and regulation of mines that ensure responsible management of environmental and social issues.
The minerals industry will need to continue to pursue advances in technologies for exploration, mining, processing, waste management and rehabilitation, and in public reporting of environmental and social performance.     

地方“资源诅咒”与“生态赤字”的经济学分析——以“榆林市”等资源型城市为例

我国陕西省榆林市、甘肃省白银市、辽宁省抚顺市及四川省古蔺县等地区,依托丰富的铜、煤炭、天然气等矿产资源带动了当地经济的快速发展。然而,对资源的过度依赖和开发,使地方经济无可回避地面临"资源诅咒"和"生态赤字"问题。本文在界定"资源诅咒"和"生态赤字"概念,及其产生的经济学根源的基础上,对"榆林市"、"白银市"等典型资源型城市的"生态赤字"现状予以分析,提出基于"3E系统模型"视角下,解决资源型城市"资源诅咒"和"生态赤字"问题,实现地方经济可持续发展的路径选择。     

Contrasting community and corporate perceptions of sustainability: A case study within the platinum mining region of South Africa

The concept of sustainable development is debatable within the mining context as the fact that mineral resources are non-renewable makes mining inherently unsustainable. The need for a realistic definition of sustainability that can be applied to mining is important, in light of claims by the industry that sustainable development principles underpin aspects of their operations. Furthermore, the socio-economic upliftment that should logically follow the implementation of these principles is not visible in many mining areas. Within the theoretical frameworks of intermediate sustainability, our study aimed to determine the level of sustainability that is appropriate for the mining context. The evaluation of community perspectives within the Rustenburg platinum region in South Africa as a case study, based on qualitative information derived from structured questionnaires and informal interviews brings further clarity. We found out that the environmental and social costs associated with mining were high, while economic benefits to surrounding communities were low. The perceptions of community and corporations were found to contrast sharply: the reality experienced by community members fell well short of the optimistic scenarios presented in the corporate social responsibility reports of the mining companies, which has implications for the mining industry in the area. The Rustenburg region is typical of mining areas, more especially the developing world, and application of a realistic sustainable development concept here can help the mining industry elsewhere to move its operations onto a genuinely more sustainable path.     

Sustainable development in the mining industry: clarifying the corporate perspective

This paper examines sustainable development in the corporate mining context, and provides some guidelines for mining companies seeking to operate more sustainably. There is now a burgeoning literature that examines sustainable development in the context of minerals and mining, most of which is concerned with sustainability at global and national scales. What is often challenging to ascertain, however, from these numerous perspectives on sustainable mineral extraction, minerals and metals recycling, environmental management, and social performance, is how sustainable development applies to mining companies themselves, and what steps a mine must take in order to improve the sustainability of operations. Since mining processes have the potential to impact a diverse group of environmental entities, and are of interest to a wide range of stakeholder groups, there is ample opportunity for the industry to operate more sustainably. Specifically, with improved planning, implementation of sound environmental management tools and cleaner technologies, extended social responsibility to stakeholder groups, the formation of sustainability partnerships, and improved training, a mine can improve performance in both the environmental and socioeconomic arenas, and thus contribute enormously to sustainable development at the mine level.     

浅谈资源型城市可持续发展 ──以大庆为例阐述战略规划和环境政策制定的依据和原则

文章分析了资源型城市制定可持续发展战略和环境政策的依据和原则,以大庆开发建设多年来的成功经验和失败教训为例,阐释了资源型城市充分利用资源、资金、文化、人才的重要性和必要性,及对生态环境和人文环境充分保护的紧迫性。进而说明:充分利用好城市的各种资源,充分保护好城市的生态环境和人文环境,及早发展替代产业完成城市转型是资源型城市可持续发展的必由之路。     

Sustainable Water Resources Management in a Conflict Resolution Framework1

Abstract: A decision support system for sustainable water resources management in a water conflict resolution framework is developed to identify and evaluate a range of acceptable alternatives for the Geum River Basin in Korea and to facilitate strategies that will result in sustainable water resource management. Working with stakeholders in a “shared vision modeling” framework, sustainable management strategies are created to illustrate system tradeoffs as well as long‐term system planning. A multi‐criterion decision‐making (MCDM) approach using subjective scales is utilized to evaluate the complex water resource allocation and management tradeoffs between stakeholders and system objectives. The procedures used in this study include the development of a “shared vision model,” a simulated decision‐making support system (as a tool for sustainable water management strategies associated with water conflicts, management options, and planning criteria), and the application of MCDM techniques for evaluating alternatives provided by the model. The research results demonstrate the utility of the sustainable water resource management model in aid of MCDM techniques in facilitating flexibility during initial stages of alternative identification and evaluation in a basin suffering from severe water conflicts.     

中央—地区二元结构的煤炭城市可持续发展战略选择与路径

煤炭在未来相当长的时间内仍是我国的基本能源。构建了中央—地区二元结构的煤炭城市可持续发展战略匹配集,根据煤炭资源的开采程度将煤炭城市分成幼年期、成长期、成熟期、衰退期四个阶段,基于三维综合判断对不同阶段的煤炭城市提出了不同的战略选择,明晰了不同发展战略的战略目标及发展的支持性政策措施。     

Management of sustainability transitions through planning in shrinking resource city contexts: an evaluation of Yubari City,Japan

This paper evaluates the planning competences required to enact a managed transition to sustainability at the municipal level for cities facing population, economic and employment decline. Drawing on the ‘shrinking cities’ literature, we argue consolidation of the built environment can become a focal point for sustaining citizen welfare when transitioning cities that are facing decline, especially those previously reliant on resource industries. We evaluate the former coal mining city of Yubari, Japan, which is developing a consolidated urban form with the aim of creating a ‘sustainable’ future city. Findings from interviews and content analysis of Yubari’s planning policy indicate, however, that to translate ‘shrinking’ a city into a managed transition, spatial planning must be accompanied by a wider range of social policy measures and strong cross-sectoral engagement. We also caution that the unique geographical and political context of Yubari mean its model may not be directly replicable in other contexts.     

构建与设计化学矿业可持续发展决策支持系统

本文讨论了化学矿业可持续发展的内涵和实现可持续发展战略的最佳技术手段之一,即建立化学矿业可持续发展空间决策支持系统的重要性,提出了化学矿业可持续发展决策支持系统的构建理论依据和方法,探讨了化学矿业可持续发展空间决策支持系统总体设计、系统分析的数学模型以及系统的方法库和模型库的设计。     

攀西地区农业开发条件、潜力与对策

攀西地区位于四川省的西南部,包括攀枝花市和凉山州的全部。幅员面积6.75万km~2,1988年末人口为437.3万人。攀西不仅矿产、水能资源举世瞩目,而且光热资源丰富,宜农荒地资源多,农业开发条件好、潜力大,是国家原材料、能源和农业开发的重点地区。本文拟就种植业为重点,对攀西农业开发条件、潜力和对策进行分析论证,以引起社会重视,使之尽快列为全国农业开发的重点区,进行先期开发。     

METAL RESOURCES OF DEEP SEA NODULES

The deep ocean floor represents the latest frontier of knowledge about global mineral resources. The ocean environment poses unique problems for mineral resource development - problems of resource assessment, adaptation of mining technology, and management of resources common to all of mankind. In the first of three related articles on the mineral resources of the ocean, Mr. Odunton assesses the current state of knowledge about the nature and extent of marigenous minerals. He examines the processes of formation, the composition, and the regional distribution of ferromanganese nodules, which represent the most promising of these minerals at present. Attention is also given to the considerations involved in the location, evaluation and exploitation of nodule deposits. Future articles will review ocean mining technology and the economic and policy issues involved in the development of ocean mineral resources.     

The global partnership for sustainable development

This paper examines whether foreign aid, together with other economic, social and environmental factors, contributes to sustainable development. It starts with an illustrative theoretical growth model where foreign aid promotes sustainable development by protecting the environment. Using factor analysis and newly developed estimation methods for a dynamic panel data model with endogenous regressors, the empirical section of the paper finds evidence that foreign aid has had a significantly positive influence on sustainable development in aid recipient countries. This effect is very likely to go through channels related to growth and resources as well as a technology channel with respect to energy intensity. This research has important implications for a post‐2015 development framework on international collective action with regard to a sustainable future.