As the U.S. plans new mines for copper, lithium and other metals to use in green technologies, mining projects in the West could threaten scarce water supplies.
With the dollar weakening, people are turning to gold. Cue the acceleration of an Amazon gold rush, and with it, more challenges for Brazil, write Robert Muggah and Mac Margolis.
NPR ventures into a Colombian emerald mine — which used to be more dangerous, with potential explosions inside and gunfights outside. The CEO, a former U.S. diplomat, says he wanted to change that.
Photos show the desperate search for scraps left by big diamond operators. But amid rampant poverty and unemployment, zama-zamas see no other way to provide for their families.
Fishermen and tribes have been fighting the mine proposal for a decade, fearing it would harm the wild sockeye salmon at the heart of the area's economy and culture.
Decades of mining for jade has left the landscape desolate. Local activists want to make a change — but can they stand up to the powerful companies that dominate the industry?