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The earth gives people many of its precious resources and people ignore the principles of rational consumption of the earth’s riches. The problem as to excavation and extraction of the mineral resources is vital for the global rational use of these treasures of the soil. As of the United Kingdom the country presupposes to evaluate the chances of sharing on the markets and to protect the economy from the environmental as well as economic disasters in the long run.
The paper is dedicated to the approach of implicating and describing the main factors which influence on the process of extracting of the minerals in this part of the world. The main parts will include the general information about current situation on the problem pointing out the statistical data which include graphical performance as well as numerical indicators. The aim of the research is to provide a clear picture about the policy of extracting and excavating the minerals in the UK having a look at several areas where this process is in action and giving straightforward impacts on the economic as well as environmental spheres of the country sustainability.
The positive effect, for example, in extracting oil is the ability to provide the country with adequate prices of petrochemicals and the fact that the UK is able to make influence on other exporters of oil in the world. Good example here is the British Petroleum Corporation. As the economy of a country grows (the UK’s has grown by 2.5% per annum over the past ten years), mineral consumption also grows.” (Minerals in the Economy, 2002)
The negative outcome touches upon the environmental pollution and after use of excavated areas. Not only oil is the major source of British “natural sources”: coal, limestone, sandstone, peat, clay, dolomites etc. are also privileged to be the key resources of British economy. As it is considered, the extracting industry is aimed to dredge as more minerals and useful materials as are needed in the short and long run of the economic development of a definite country.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is one of the major leaders of the world in terms of its availability to compete on markets of oil, gas, coal and various minerals which still present a deepest interest for managing the relationships and agreements with other players throughout the initiatives targeted to supply and provide mutual impacts onto economy growth and further perspectives of the country.
The statistics from year to year shows a gradual increase of economy as of the volumes of extracted minerals and their use and implementation afterwards. Undoubtedly, during last few years the indexes only grew, but in light of last changes in the world particularly connected with global crisis of many countries’ economies the government of the UK provides both restrained and aggressive policy to preserve its current positions from falling down.
Cultural part of this issue falls into the fact that due to the extraction of many kinds of minerals human beings can use them for building new places of interest or houses, and creating something new regarding to the sculpture and other arts. The only unanswered and poorly made out aspect to be resolved here is the environmental solutions of after use effects, because as it is universally accepted: “there is nothing permanent under the sun.” It concerns the fact that sooner or later the earth will disburse itself with the help of people’s intrusion into its treasures.
With regards to Vince Gardiner and his book “The Changing Geography of the UK” one can compare by means of bellow displayed figure the relatively recent changes in the geographical shape of the country with emphasis on the extracting process within the period of time from 1972 till 2000.
The constant increase of mineral extraction many experts connect with the problem of demographic explosion which goes near the growth of such materials consumption. The building industry feels great impulses for the further elaboration when huge amounts of minerals are reported to be excavated.
Such intentions cannot stop the demands of society in gaining new floor spaces in order to use them managing various business affairs or just to live in. Thus, igneous rocks, limestone, sand and gravel, sandstone as well as chalk and brick clays are significant for the building industry along with the chemical one (limestone of pure type is used in making different chemical substances, namely, soda and some kinds of acids) and its perspectives aimed at the more spread of British home and foreign activities.
Resource extraction industries tend to have “enclave” characteristics–i, e., they create just small pockets of wealth and have few linkages to the rest of the national economy, particularly if the resources are exported before any processing takes place. The benefits to the economy and population at large are therefore quite limited. Frequently, enclaves are even physically separated, as mineral deposits or timber resources are often found in remote areas; some oil resources, for instance, are located offshore. (Geographical, 2008)
The government of the country developed the policy of how to plan the rational extractions of minerals with definite benefits for the well-being of citizens and state on the whole. First, the state is sympathetic to extract ores out of the soil to improve the economic stability. That is why the works are processing both onshore and offshore to impact on the future exploitation of natural resources. It is widely realized that due to the richness of North Irish shelf in oil the dredging of it cannot be stopped. The problem is grave, therefore, to work out the regulations which should provide the further elaboration on the area of the UK.
There are several conventions which support and help forward the monitoring and sharing of the resources, so that not to contradict the international policy of mutual collaboration in this field of activity. The irrational extraction of minerals is hazardous to the environment and can definitely wreck a country’s economy after breach of treaty obligations. One of the organizations which present international interests according to the use of excavated treasures of soil is OSPAR.
The Convention of this body signed in 1998 follows the idea that ‘Contracting Parties shall ‘take all possible steps to prevent and eliminate pollution and shall take the necessary measures to protect the maritime area against the adverse effects of human activities so as to safeguard health and to conserve marine ecosystems, and, when practicable, restore marine areas which have been adversely affected’. (Northern Ireland Environment Agency)
Such conventions are important in present times when the increase of greenhouse gases constantly grows and the mining issue matters in terms of its infliction of harm. Many of the international agreements on mineral extraction problem is intended to work out the issues of biodiversity, Climate Change and Prevention of Dryness Processes, as that signed and agreed by many countries in 1992. (Roberto C Villas-Bôas 453) The UK government does not ignore such programs in order to provide also a social and environmental policy while taking into account the profits after the usage and managing of these materials.
In particular, minerals restoration projects can contribute to targets set out in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. For example, the extraction of aggregates at Needingworth, Cambridgeshire, will deliver 40% of the UK biodiversity target for reedbed creation after restoration on a 700 ha wetland site.(Mineral extraction sites)
Looking at the table above, one can determine the overall tempos of excavating works in Great Britain and, in fact, there is a great performance in numbers of British potential as for the mineral resources. The new areas come from the previously explored.
That is why the major attention of the society and environmentalists, in particular, is grabbed at the after use aspects. Here a brief survey of actions of the government is needed emphasizing one of the regions providing works on minerals extraction. One of the areas rich in mineral resources in the United Kingdom is Northamptonshire County. Regarding to the influence on the nature and environment and the actuality of potential after use of the areas being excavated the administration of the Northamptonshire County elaborated several strategically important objectives to follow:
- To ensure an adequate supply of minerals in accordance with national and regional guidelines;
- To provide for a land bank of permitted reserves of non-energy minerals in accordance with national and regional guidelines;
- To support the re-use and recycling of minerals by developing alternative sources of aggregates and making more efficient use of all minerals;
- To shift minerals extraction away from the river Nene to the glacial deposits;
- To protect the unexploited river valleys; and
- To protect, conserve and enhance Special Landscape Areas in accordance with Policy AR1. (Minerals Development, 2004)
The territory of this county is rich in limestone, sand and gravel, soft sand, building stone and ironstone. The above mentioned solutions according to the problem are rationally right in order to safeguard the environment and guarantee the growth of the economic climate.
For the UK the process of mineral extraction and excavation is still a vexed problem. For the greater surveillance of the works on doing it is one of the preferable ways. Monitoring of managing the works before and after extracting mineral deposits is of huge importance for the British government, home and international environmental organizations. Another aspect concerns the way of utilization and further utilization itself. In the era of high technologies it is useful to apply special computer programs detecting and indicating the afterwards use of voids and wastes.
“A complete computerized data bank listing voids and wastes, along with a program which is available to associate one with another according to suitability, exists in Canada and in at least one region in the UK, the West Yorkshire conurbation.” (Vince Gardiner 77) Another glimpse about the problem is to maintain the better up to 100 % process of recycling of the minerals, so that to decrease the levels of the extraction in the long run. This rational step may prevent British people from the lack of minerals in place as well as sea-bed mineral resources.
“Sustainable consumption and production (SCP) is becoming a priority for countries worldwide. This is specially important in the new emerging ‘global consumer class’ with large groups of middle-class showing increasingly similar consumption patterns,” according to the Global Environment Outlook 4 (GEO4). (ManilaBulletin,2007)
To sum up, today the volumes and constant increase of minerals extraction gives the government of the UK huge profits, but confronts the environmental problem. Conventional agreements and rational policy of the country itself are the main indicators in providing further works in this sphere. The situation with British policy of extraction and excavation of the mineral resources is quite measured. “Sustainable consumption” is surely the main goal for the country to provide its further development in the world arena. The framework of the analysis on this issue will contain following points:
- Current consumption and extraction along with the decisions to reduce them;
- Safeguard of existing resources;
- Evaluation of the influence on the environment.
References
Auty, R. M., & Mikesell, R. F. (1998). Sustainable Development in Mineral Economies. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Macintyre, M., & Foale, S. (2004). Politicized Ecology: Local Responses to Mining in Papua New Guinea. Oceania.
Oil, Oil Everywhere but Not the Will to Drill. (2008). The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), p. G57.
‘Sustainable Consumption’ to Drive Private Firms to ‘Green’ Products. (2007). Manila Bulletin
Gardiner, V., & Matthews, H. (2000). The Changing Geography of the UK. London: Routledge.
Villas-Bôas, RC & Beinhoff, C (2002). Indicators of Sustainability for the Mineral Extraction Industries, CYTED-CETEM.
Rowe, M (2008). Shifting Sands: Mining the Seabed for Sand and Gravel for Use in Construction Is a Major Industry in the UK. but While the Official Line from the Government and the Mining Industry Is That Damage Is Inconsequential, Environmental Groups Are Voicing Concerns about the Impact on Sea Defences, Fish Stocks and Fragile Coastal Habitats. Mark Rowe Dives into the Increasingly Fractious Debate. Geographical, Vol. 80.
Regional Analysis. Web.
Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Web.
Minerals Development, 2004. Web.
Minerals in the Economy, 2002. Web.
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