This ongoing series explores Element’s response to various events in the mining community, especially as they pertain to our global mission.
A Vancouver, BC-based law firm (CFM) has filed suit against Barrick Gold for alleged human rights abuses at their gold mining operations in Tanzania.
A press release, “Barrick Slapped with Third Lawsuit on Same Human Rights Abuses at Tanzanian Mine: ‘Business as Usual?” indicates continued human rights violations against the local Indigenous Kuria people, and is the third lawsuit filed against Barrick Gold in under ten years.
Prior suits include those from Leigh Day (2013), a prominent London-based human rights solicitor firm, and Welsh solicitors, Hugh | James (2020).
Barrick Gold initially gained control of the gold mines in 2019, only to continue the long tradition of human-rights abuses already present in the mines. For nearly ten years, MiningWatch conducted on-site victim interviews, documenting roughly one hundred allegations of rape, death, or injury incidents on company property.
Kuria victims from the village of Komarera also allege illegal evictions, alongside coping with the mine’s toxic waste and dump sites as the mining company sought expansion.
Mining companies worldwide are plagued by similar incidents like those experienced at the North Mara mines in Tanzania, where First Nations and Indigenous peoples often experience the brunt of mining’s negative impact.
Unsafe or unchecked mining practices can cause severe environmental damage, instigate cultural losses, and destabilize financial security.
But little is done to change or reform today’s mining industry, since the materials beneath the surface are often considered more important than the people who live above it.
But there are better, different, and safer ways to mine. There are ways to mine without being pollutive, abusive, or destructive to people and culture.
That’s why we aim to deliver pollution-changing incentives to reclaim and rehabilitate once unusable land, and turn the page away from traditional harmful practices.
Element has created a real-world solution for environmental issues caused by mining. Our mission includes generating economic opportunities for residents and combating human rights abuses.
But we are not proposing an end to mining.
Our world requires many of these mined assets to function economically–and be more sustainable.
Instead, we plan to reinvest in sustainable development programs for communities affected by these destructive mining efforts.
Element’s Web 3 gaming and blockchain ecosystem will digitize actual elements like gold, jade, and granite. Players will soon be able to buy digital assets to game, build, and explore these materials on the Element network.
We then partner with actual mines across the globe in order to keep their assets in the ground, which helps keep local and indigenous communities safe from dangerous or pollutive mining practices.
Our cause is just beginning, but we’re certain Element has the potential to be one of the most significant private sector initiatives ever undertaken for land reclamation solutions.
Ready to join our mission? Getting involved is easy. Join our community, buy Nodes, and help power a blockchain with real-world impact.
