Good afternoon everyone, today I will be presenting 5 key points for this round which supports the stand

that mining indeed does more harm than good.

First key point that I will present to you today is on the:

1. Health hazards caused by mining.

i. Mining causes serious accidents such as fires, explosions, or collapsed mine tunnels that
affect miners and people living in communities near mines. Even in places where mining
happened long ago, people can still be exposed to health threats from mining waste and
chemicals that remain in the soil and water. Mining damages health in many ways:
1. Dust, chemical spills, harmful fumes, heavy metals and radiation can poison workers
and cause life-long health problems as well as allergic reactions and other
immediate problems.
2. Cardiopulmonary disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension,
lung disease, and kidney disease have been found in higher-than-normal rates
among residents who live near coal mines, according to a 2014 US study.
3. Long hours working underground with little light can harm vision.
4. Working in very hot conditions can cause heat stress.
5. Water pollution and overuse of water resources leads to many health problems.
6. Mining releases coal mine methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more powerful than
carbon dioxide. Coal dust inhalation causes black lung disease among miners and
those who live nearby, and mine accidents kill thousands every year.
ii. With all these health hazards of mining, what weighs more? A health hazard free life or
the profits in the expense our life? I firmly believe that life is priceless.

2) Technologies
i. I know that technology advancement depends much from mining. But, what is the use of
all technologies if the lives of the users are compromised through the destructive
process of making these things.

3) Wildlife
i. Mining disrupt and destroy habitats and can cause water and air pollution wherein
the runoff from mines contaminates local water supplies such as rivers, creeks and
lakes. This contamination can cause the death of wildlife and/or cause genetic
mutations in their offspring.
ii. Birds, Animals, and creatures that depend on trees and plants for food or shelter lose their
homes or starve to death
iii. Endemic plant and animal species are most affected since they are very sensitive and they
require specific environmental conditions, even the slightest disruption of their habitats can
result in extinction or put them at high risk of being wiped out. And given that Philippines is
in a tropical region and blest with a very diverse variety of species, mining is a very critical
factor on the preservation of these endemic species.
iv. Although rehabilitation programs such as tree planting events are implemented, what for
are the hundreds of trees planted every event compared to the daily destruction of the
habitat of our wildlife?
 4) Employment and Benefits
i. It is a big illusion I tell you. Mining may promote employment and economic development
within an area but don’t be deceived with this fragile utopia for these things won’t last long.
20-50 years give or take, when all the minerals in the mine are depleted, the mining
company will proceed to closure and what happens then? Where will all the workers go?
The shift of jobs is a challenge for the workers and could critically affect the economic
progress of a community in terms of adaption to these changes. Yes, there may be
rehabilitation programs that the company has to implement but it is still a problem when it
comes to sustainability of these programs since these mining companies are already
focusing investments on the search of new mining resource sites.
5) Environment risk
i. The mining process begins with deforestation. The land above the mine must be cleared of
all obstructions to allow the miners to go to work. Sadly, most mining companies are quite
willing to destroy an entire forest to get access to mineral wealth.
ii. Strip mining destroys landscapes, forests and wildlife habitats at the site of the mine when
trees, plants, and topsoil are cleared from the mining area. This in turn leads to soil erosion,
formation of sinkholes, loss of biodiversity, and contamination of soil, groundwater, surface
water by chemicals from mining processes, and destruction of agricultural land.
iii. Underground mining causes huge amounts of waste earth and rock to be brought to the
surface – waste that often becomes toxic when it comes into contact with air and water. It
causes subsidence as mines collapse and the land above it starts to sink. This causes serious
damage to buildings. Geographical Disadvantage. Philippines as part of the Pacific Ring of
fire wherein about 90 percent of all earthquakes strike within these areas. This means
people's lives are under almost constant threat which in turn increases the operational
hazard of mining. Are you willing to risk your life for a bare minimum wage?
iv. Mining sites will be wastelands after the mining is over, leaving the farmers less land for
agriculture. Mining can contribute to the deterioration of the area's flora and fauna. There is
also a huge possibility that many of the surface features that were present before mining
activities cannot be replaced after the process has ended even with reclamation and
rehabilitation programs.
v. Mining may bring profit, employment, technological advancements, and country taxation
benefits but no money is worth the destruction of our environment & wildlife.

Before I end, let me share to you a quote from an author Debasish Mridha which says “Those things you
can buy have no value but have a price. Those things you cannot buy have value and are priceless.” Mining may
be a profitable business, but we shall never turn a blind eye to the outweighing harmful effects which could cost
the environment and lives of the people.