Zambian mining practices under scrutiny

World Trade Organisation (WTO) researcher Baris Karapinar has raised the prospect of sanctions being imposed against Zambian copper exports in an effort to force certain mining companies to clean up their act. “Some mining sites in China, India, Peru, Russia and Zambia have been identified as the world’s most environmentally polluted areas — as contamination of the air, water and soil caused by discharged material from mines substantially exceeded the safety limits. “There are also other environmental concerns arising from the high energy intensity of the production and processing of some minerals. “Placing restrictions on exports of minerals produced through environmentally damaging operations, or through high levels of energy consumption and carbon emissions, may help alleviate some of the adverse impacts on the environment,” he says in a discussion paper published on the WTO website.