All that glitters

In many societies, a gift of jewellery is an expression of love and sometimes a form of commitment. In Guyana, very often, such jewellery is made from gold. It is somewhat of a tradition in this country to give newborn babies these gifts, tiny gold rings, bracelets or earrings; engagement and wedding rings are also usually predominantly gold and it is rare for either the giver or receiver to reflect on the origin of that which has been exquisitely designed and presented with sentiment.

But dirty gold, like blood diamonds, is fast becoming taboo and people around the world have been urging retailers to ensure that their gold products have not been produced at the cost of damage to the environment, and that communities and workers were not harmed in its production. It may seem a bit of a tall order, but a campaign to this effect launched by the environmental non-profit Earthworks a few years ago has had a significant impact on renowned jewelry companies like Tiffany, for example.

Gold mining, as it is currently conducted, in the majority of places produces dirty gold. The mining industry, in general, devastates eco-systems. But when it is done illegally, and there is no Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) oversight, the impact is that much worse.

Mining gold on land involves the removal of tonnes of topsoil and rocks. In the process, trees and plants are destroyed resulting in deforestation. Often, they are never replanted but even if they were, the wildlife which had previously taken refuge there are long gone, tilting the balance in the ecosystem.

Large-scale river mining is just as bad. Dredges suck ore and sediment from riverbeds, releasing toxins which contaminate the water far beyond where the mining is taking place. The fuel used to operate these dredges emit greenhouse gases, which are a significant driver of climate change, added to which there is always a risk of a fuel spill. Furthermore, mercury and cyanide are still widely used to extract gold, particularly in illegal mining operations, and both are pollutants.

A little over a week ago, the Ministry of Natural Resources issued a press release in which it referred to a dredge destroying a section of the Cuyuni Riverbank in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni). Guyana Geology and Mines Commis-sion (GGMC) staff who investigated a complaint, the release said, found that the miner was operating illegally on a prospecting licence and had committed several offences, but refused to comply with orders to desist.

It was subsequently revealed that the registered owner of the dredge, Mr Jadar Lopes Acevedo, a Brazilian, was fined $12 million. How-ever, with the price of gold on the rise – it was close to US$2,000 an ounce on the world market on Monday – that fine was perhaps a mere irritant.

What is not known is whether Mr Acevedo also lost his prospecting licence as a result of his action, or whether having paid the fine, he was free to go and repeat the same performance elsewhere, possibly in a pristine area. What is known, sadly, is that the $12 million fine can in no way restore the riverbank that was damaged. Not only has it changed the shape of the river, but the long-term effects will most likely include erosion, which may lead to flooding. The domino effect caused by inconsiderate devastation of the environment leads to changes that could very well be far reaching.

And even if the entire sum of the fine were spent on repairing the damage, it would take years for any vegetation that was removed to regrow. What is also extremely unfortunate, is that given Guyana’s vast hinterland, there are bound to be others like him who just have not been caught yet.

As a case in point, just last year, there was an incident in the Kuyuwini River in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), where miners had set up their dredges in a no-mining zone and despite citations and cease orders from the GGMC, boldly refused to move.

The limitations to policing mining in Guyana are well known. The GGMC has never had and does not now have sufficient field staff to do this successfully. The current high price of gold will draw many who would be willing to take the chance to mine illegally or take dangerous shortcuts. Greed and good environmental practices do not mesh. Now, more than ever, there is dire need for ESG oversight and the repudiation of dirty gold before we lose more than we could ever hope to gain.