On 22 July the World day against open -air mining extractionan anniversary established to turn on the spotlight on one of the most impactful human activities From an environmental, social and cultural point of view. This date wants to remember that behind the apparent technological and industrial progress is often hidden a very high price to pay: the destruction of ecosystems, the pollution of water and air, the impairment of people’s health and not least the exploitation of territories and communities.
The open -air mining extraction – recognizable for its enormous craters visible even by satellites – is a very widespread practice all over the world and its visual impact is only the surface of a much deeper problem. Today is the right opportunity to reflect not only on the environmental damage of this development model, but also on how it is possible and necessary to promote alternative and more sustainable models.
The 2025 day then fits into a particularly delicate moment: while on the one hand the mobilizations ask for greater protection of the territories, on the other, in Italy, we return to talk about new active mines. After forty years of silence, our country decided to reopen the doors to mining researchin the name of the ecological transition and strategic safety. But at what price?
What is open -air mining extraction
The open -air mining extraction is a technique used for the extraction of minerals and metals from the subsoil, removing large quantities of soil and rock to reach the desired materials. Unlike underground mines, this method profoundly modifies the morphology of the territorygenerating real craters also visible from satellite.
The problem is that, if on the one hand it guarantees a simpler and faster access to resources, on the other it involves a devastating impact for the environment, biodiversity, water resources and human health.
In this context, the World Day against Open Share Mineral Extraction is inserted, which is a city initiative launched in 2009 by Mexican and Canadian activists, after the legal victories obtained that year from the wide opposition to the mining activity of San Xavier in defense of the San Louis Potosí valley and against the destruction of the Cerro de San Pedro, in Mexico.
The aim is of course raise awareness of governments, communities and citizens on the serious damages caused by this practice. The relapses are numerous: deforestation, soil erosion, loss of habitats, contamination of the aquifers and crops, greenhouse gase emissions, use of toxic substances such as cyanide and production of enormous quantities of polluting waste. In addition, workers are often exposed to very serious risks for their health and safety.
The quarries active in Italy
Talking about mines does not mean looking only at distant countries. Even if the common imagination associates Italian mines in the past, in reality the extractive activity is far from over. Over 4,000 quarries are active in Italy, concentrated in particular in regions such as Lombardy, Veneto, Tuscany, Piedmont and Sardinia. Most of these do not extract metals, but construction materials, such as limestone, marble, sand, gravel, plaster and clay, fundamental for the construction industry.
These activities can also have a considerable environmental impact: they modify the landscape, affect the ecosystems, consume soil and water, and generate dust and noises that damage the quality of life of the surrounding communities. An emblematic case is that of the Apuan Alps, where the extraction of Carrara marble continues to worry about the progressive erosion of the mountains, the impairment of the aquifers and hydrogeological risks.
Despite the growing public and institutional attention, the Italian regulations on the quarries is still fragmented and entrusted to the regions, with very uneven and often inadequate protection levels to guarantee true sustainability.
Second category mineral extraction sites (quarries)
Italy returns to dig to look for rare lands
After 40 years of stall, Italy also decided to return to explore the subsoil. With the new national mining exploration program, the Meloni government has given the green light to 14 research projects in different regions, with the aim of identifying new sources of critical raw materials (such as lithium, copper, rare lands, graphite and other strategic metals).
These are fundamental materials that are used to build batteries, electric cars, solar panels – and Europe wants to reduce dependence on imports, especially on politically unstable countries.
But where will you look for? The explorations will involve practically all of Italy: from Lombardy to Trentino-Alto Adige for fluorite and rare lands, from Piedmont to Liguria for copper, manganese and graphite, from Tuscany to Lazio for lithium, magnesium and antimony. The South will also not be spared: Campania and Calabria will be explored for lithium and graphite, while Sardinia, the historic mining region, will return to the center of the extractive activity, with surveys on copper, tin, gold and other heavy metals.
In this first phase, the investigations will be non -invasive, with television and geochemical and geophysical analyzes and analyzes. But in the following stages the opening of new mines is not excluded.
What are the risks
The return to mines may seem like a strategic choice, but involves numerous risks. Not only environmental – related to pollution, soil consumption and water, and toxic – but also social and economic waste production.
Many abandoned sites in the past have never been reclaimed and continue to represent a serious danger. Only in Sardinia, about 70 million cubic meters of extractive waste are estimated, many of which containing toxic and carcinogenic substances. The Urgin Project, part of the PNRR, has the aim of mapping and analyzing this waste, but the road is still long.
In addition, the extractive activities create a local economic dependence: when the resources run out, the companies leave, leaving the communities without work and with a devastated territory.
The challenge of the ecological transition
Italy, like all Europe, needs raw materials for ecological transition. But Is it right to face an environmental crisis generating another one? The answer lies in finding a balance between development and protection of the environment, between economics and communities of communities.
Recovering raw materials from urban and technological waste, reducing consumption, investing in energy efficiency and circular economy are some of the possible alternatives, often more sustainable and effective in the long term.
It is therefore essential to ask for transparent, rigorous and truly sustainable policies. A active participation of local communities is needed, public control over exploration activities and a serious evaluation of long -term impacts.
Because the environment cannot be sacrificed in the name of the transition.
Sources: Ispra / Comisión Nacional de los derechos humanos
