Premium
Environmental management in mining and mineral processing in developing countries
Author(s) -
Warhurst Alyson
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
natural resources forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.646
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1477-8947
pISSN - 0165-0203
DOI - 10.1111/j.1477-8947.1992.tb00547.x
Subject(s) - production (economics) , developing country , context (archaeology) , business , natural resource economics , technological change , politics , economic cost , environmental impact assessment , environmental economics , industrial organization , economics , international trade , economic growth , microeconomics , political science , paleontology , macroeconomics , law , biology
This paper analyses some of the social, political and economic dimensions of the environmental behaviour of mining enterprises and governments in the context of evolving regulation, growing public concern and technological innovation. Contrary to the belief that a trade‐off exists between production costs and environmental costs, which presupposes a static technology, new generations of technology offer improved economic and environmental efficiency. Technical change is therefore reducing both production and environmental costs. Because most planned mines and available reserves are in developing countries, situations may develop whereby technical change reduces that trade‐off for them.