Uganda is currently soliciting funds in the mining sector by calling on international mining giants to invest in the country’s rich deposits of critical minerals to drive its clean energy ambitions and economic growth. Though the question comes in on how Uganda aims to achieve both clean energy goals and economic growth when she is still striving to seal funding for fossil fuel projects like EACOP. A project that has already had several economic and socio-ecological impacts on citizens especially in communities where the project is ongoing. These include Restrictions on land use and delays in compensation which have decimated local livelihoods, particularly in agriculture. The promised employment benefits pale in comparison to the loss of jobs in the tourism sector and the broader social and environmental costs associated with the project.
It is worth noting that discoveries of these essential minerals have come at a time when the country is direly pursuing a just energy path and low-carbon economy in the bid to keep below the 1.5 degrees global warming under the Paris Agreement target and align with national actions embedded in the Uganda Energy Transition Plan, Uganda Green Growth Development Strategies, and NDCs.
Regrettably, while Uganda has made significant strides in the discovery of the critical mineral deposits, with graphite production taking shape in Orom subcounty in Kitgum district and other critical mineral deposit areas showing potential for development, the critical mineral sector remains largely without an independent critical mineral policy to guide the effective exploitation of these critical resources for our country’s development, as also outlined by the International Energy Agency report in their assessment for 2022.
However, sustainable supply of these minerals is at risk due to declining ore grades, available extraction and processing technologies, socio-environmental concerns, and geopolitical challenges. Africa hosts substantial critical minerals resources, and the continent is currently being positioned as a major global player in the critical minerals supply chain. As a result, there is a rush for Africa’s critical mineral resources through investment in exploration activities and license acquisition by foreign mining companies. Critical minerals largely serve the geostrategic and economic interests of western countries and China. The rush for Africa’s critical minerals is producing significant socio-ecological impacts that are important to take into consideration.
The environmental impacts of mineral production stages are generally caused by the use of land, energy, water and chemicals and the production of waste. Mine development requires land for the mine itself, but also for other uses, such as infrastructure, processing facilities and waste. During resource extraction and further processing, high levels of water, chemicals and energy are used. Overburden and waste rock are often stored in heaps and piles while tailings are often stored in dams to reduce the risk of leakage of all kinds of radioactive elements or heavy metals. When the mine is closed or abandoned, environmental impacts can linger or even aggravate if rehabilitation of the site is not done well.
The extraction and processing of ore and poor waste management can cause water pollution, and excessive water consumption can cause water scarcity. Of particular concern are the water-related effects of mining operations on hydrological systems, as local freshwater sources are vital to provide the necessary amounts of clean water for both human and environmental requirements. Due to increasing social, economic, and environmental concerns surrounding water impacts, there are large concerns about the pollution of water bodies caused by mining operations and closed/abandoned mines
Soil erosion is linked to mine development, when crushing and milling of the ore,.oil contamination is mainly linked to poor waste management. The erosion process takes place when stripping overburden i.e. soil and subsoil blasting and excavating rocks and minerals, waste dumping, and reclaiming of the land after mining activities have ceased. The post-mining impacts result in changes in land morphology, topography and landscape. The landscape of post-mining sites often is uneven with deep holes and big piles of soil and rocks left from the mining process. Because of these changes, the land cannot be used for farming or building, and has an increased risk of avalanches.
Mining poses serious but also very specific threats to biodiversity: it affects biodiversity through many different pathways and on all spatial scales for example mining site, local landscape, regional and global, both directly and indirectly. Mining practices drive biodiversity loss directly by accessing and opening up remote or pristine areas and direct destruction of habitat examples are fertile soils, grasslands and forests during mine development. With the clearance of overburden and natural habitats to gain access to mineral deposits as well as to build facilities for storage, processing and waste biodiversity is literally removed.
Climate change is an important impact category from a global perspective and Uganda is currently facing its impacts for example the Bulambuli tragedy that buried several villages, claimed 28 lives so far and more than 100 people had been feared missing. In terms of scale of impact, global metal production is one of the largest consumers of fossil fuels. Overall, estimate that greenhouse gas emissions associated with primary mineral and metal production were the equivalent of approximately 10% of the total global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in 2018. This is a lot for one sector, especially since it contributes only 6.7% to global GDP. Fossil fuel consumption for the use of heavy equipment, electricity generation, large consumption of process heat and use of cooking coal (i.e. for steel production) are the largest drivers of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the mining industry.
With all these environmental impacts of the mining industry, we argue that the current race for Africa’s critical mineral resources does not serve the interest of Uganda and Africa at large and it is likely to create adverse long-term socio-ecological impacts rather than benefits for the continent unless appropriate sustainable measures and strategic planning are carefully considered and fully implemented.
Elizabeth Namagembe