Faced with widespread and unrelenting local opposition, the Papua New Guinea government indicated it would put the brakes on plans to dump 13 million tonnes of mine waste from the Wafi-Golpu mine into the Huon Gulf. Unfortunately, the environmental minister… More »
Canadian company goes silent on problems at its Ramu mine Since 2010, landowners in the path of the Ramu nickel-cobalt mine, and the accompanying refinery on Basamuk Bay, have opposed the use of ocean tailings dumping. They sued, and the… More »
Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC), citing unacceptable levels of environmental damage. MCC operates the Ramu nickel-cobalt mine in Papua New Guinea, which dumps millions of tonnes of toxic mine waste into the ocean each year. Storebrand joins several other financial… More »
EARTHblog
How’s this for a testament to the complex nature of globalization: Storebrand, Norway’s largest private asset manager, recently divested from Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC), because the Ramu nickel-cobalt mine the company operates in Papua New Guinea dumps millions of… More »Why Did a Norwegian Firm Ditch a Chinese Company Over What It’s Doing in Papua New Guinea?
Forget algae. If you really want to trash a marine ecosystem, this Chinese and Canadian-owned mining operation is proving there’s nothing like untreated mine tailings. In late August, a processing plant for the massive Ramu cobalt-nickel mine in Papua New… More »
Wafi Golpu: The Latest Mine to Menace Papua New Guinea Wafi Golpu Joint Venture (WGJV)–a partnership between Australia’s Newcrest Mining and South Africa’s Harmony Gold Mining Company–wants to build Papua New Guinea’s largest underground mine near the city of Lae… More »
The island nation of Papua New Guinea and its neighbor West Papua, Indonesia, are among the only places in the world where mining companies are permitted to dump toxic mine waste into natural water bodies. In these adjacent countries, there… More »
Earthworks’ newest campaign is hitting ocean dumpers where it counts. This March, Earthworks launched the Ditch Ocean Dumping campaign to demand financial institutions cut ties with companies that dump mine waste into the ocean. Each year mining companies dump 220+… More »
Today an international coalition of environmental and human rights groups announced the start of a new campaign to end the submarine disposal of hazardous mine waste, known as tailings. The practice smothers seabed floors and coral reefs, threatens fisheries, and harms human and wildlife health.
Do you like riddles? Then try this one on for size: what does your wallet have in common with Papua New Guinea? Give up? OK, I’ll give you a hint: it’s got something to do with that little plastic rectangle… More »
The Ramu nickel and cobalt mine in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has generated controversy and deep concerns over its environmental and social record. Despite fierce local opposition and a legal battle that suspended operations for 19 months, the mine is… More »