Nearly every mineral and metal in use of today is the product of mining and demand is increasing day by day in the world market.

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Even if we were to recycle all the freely available metals and minerals in the world today, we would only meet a small percentage of the total mineral and metal requirements of society. This is in part due to the demands of a growing global population but also the reality that metals and minerals can remain in use for many years and are therefore simply unavailable for recycling. For example, steel forms the framework of buildings; it can't be recycled until the building has been demolished.

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Mining is, therefore, key to almost every facet of our lives, from construction to the technological innovations that improve our lives. But we need to be mindful of the broader balance of benefits and impacts and how mining operations should be managed.

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The means to achieving that balance lies in the concept of sustainable development. Its central idea is that any human activity, including mining, should be undertaken in such a way that it provides a net positive contribution to people and the environment. This means that the benefits (which cannot be measured in purely economic terms) must outweigh the costs.

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The growing demand for minerals and metals is sure to keep mining and the management of its impact and benefits front and center. 

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The mining industry can be dated as far back as 41000 BCE, to a mine in Swaziland. The mine, called the Lion Cave, is where natives mined hematite to produce ochre, a red pigment. Other mines found that existed during the same time frame were flint mines, which humans used for tools and weapons during the time.

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The Ancient Egyptians developed quarry mining about 4,000 years ago in order to find gold, rock, and other ores that they needed. The Romans and Greek used similar techniques as the Egyptians in later times but further advanced how water was used in mining, as well as removed from mining pits, with the use of aqueducts.

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In the medieval times, demand for metals such as iron, copper, and bronze further advanced the mining industry. This demand needed new techniques; including using pyrotechnics to blast away rock and earth to speed up the extraction and discovery of ores.

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Mining eventually became very prevalent in the Western Hemisphere in the 19th century. The industry has continued to shape the lives of people who are often pulled from one location to another by the promise of work. Entire communities and towns have sprung up as a result mining opportunities.

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Trends:

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Technology has come to play a greater role in the industry, making way for better safety measures and reducing the amount of workforce needed for a job. The steel industry has especially benefited from this, with some companies reducing manpower by up to 90 percent.

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Environmental effects have long been a concern for this industry. Many countries require mining companies to follow strict environmental guidelines to prevent erosion, sinkholes, groundwater contamination, and loss of biodiversity. There are provisions pertaining to the rehabilitation of the land to either its former or better condition. Gold mining companies often operate in fragile ecosystems, leading to charges of demand to the environment and the displacement or abuse of native populations. Environmental impact should be monitored in the near future since several national leaders have pledged to protect the environment, especially after the conference in Copenhagen where many of these issues were discussed. China, long maligned for their lack of regard for the environment, is now looking to decrease the carbon footprint by their steel mills according to their most recent five year plan.

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Trade laws and international competition create a great deal of friction in the industry. Companies such as South Korea’s POSCO and Japan’s Sumitomo-Nippon Steel, two leading steel producers, export many of their products to countries such as the United States, where unions and steel companies complain of illegal dumping by offshore steel producers.

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Recently there has been a large focus on rare earth metal mining due to ever advancing technology. The term rare, hints more at the difficulty of mining or extracting these metals than their actual abundance in nature. Their extraction ironically is being helped by newer technologies, exactly what they are needed to create and improve. China is the lead producer of rare earth metals, controlling 97 percent of production.

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Future Outlook:

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The current high levels of investment in new technology suggest that for large mining operations there is a focus on long-term value. Newer methods of exploitation will emerge to maximize production in a cost-effective way. Innovation along the entire mine production chain begins with drilling technology as can be seen in the new development of fracking. Investments in technology with result in more effective, durable and autonomous drills. These investments have already started to pay off in big ways, with new oil deposits in the Midwestern United States being discovered recently that were previously inaccessible with the mining technology available then.

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Safety in the coal mining industry has moved up in the political agenda in both the Western and Asian markets. Mine safety is continually improving, and there is a growing willingness on the part of international organizations to support initiatives to improve health and safety. Mining is investing in long term growth. Since commodities are needed in every economy, this industry has a positive future outlook.