|
|
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is on the horns of a climate dilemma.
Along the northern border of Minnesota is the most visited wilderness area in the USA, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, BWCA. On the south side of the BWCA a Chilean mining company, Antafagasta, wants to open a copper/nickel mine. Unfortunately, the company has a less than sterling track record when it comes to respecting water, air, and the communities where they have mined. As a result, many Minnesotans have risen up to protest the proposed mine. The editorial board of the Minneapolis Star and Tribune printed an opinion piece, “Not this Mine, not this Location” in 2019.
This (almost) excellent article on the risks and rewards of the Antafagasta mine is well worth reading. The reason I say, “almost” is the article never mentions the climate change risk to the BWCA. Nor does it analyze the role copper and nickel could play in saving the world from the ravages of a climate too hot to survive.
Here I describe the emotional/practical battle I wage within:
When I make my last trip into the BWCAW, my Journal will be titled, “The Last Paddle in Paradise”. The BWCAW and its sister wilderness, the Quetico, have been, since I was in grade school, where my heart is happiest.
In the 1960s it was family camping and fishing trips which brought me to Canoe County. In the 70s, with a Grumman Canoe and a Duluth Pack and my buds, it was the adventure and the challenges of long trips. Today, at 71 years of age, with my Kevlar canoe and lightweight gear the challenge is simply to get in and negotiate the portage in one piece. No matter what the challenge, all canoe apostles know the reward is solitude, solace, and renewal. In the wilderness we get to reshuffle our deck of cards. Important priorities float to the top so we can live more meaningful lives.
Mining on the edge of one of the most popular wilderness areas in the world? The hair on the back of my neck stands on end like a protective mother moose standing guard over her calf. My teeth bare like the fangs of a cornered wolf. It is instinctual to protect that which you love.
Unfortunately, these are not “normal” times. Change is happening at a pace many of us cannot comprehend, and if we do, we sometimes cannot accept it. In fact, scientists tell us the change is at least ten times faster than any other in history. We are forced to make life and death decisions now, not only about the land we love, but the survival of our youngest and the unborn. If you have studied the risks of unchallenged CLIMATE CHANGE you understand the road to disaster is the one we are on. You know what mankind must accomplish to find a new route to survival. We must transition, completely, in 20 years to energy sources that do not push greenhouse gasses into our air. We must leave the primitive fossil fuel era dead and in the ground.
The recent 3,600-page science evaluation by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC is summarized by the scientists in this one paragraph:
“The cumulative scientific evidence is unequivocal: Climate change is a threat to human well-being and planetary health. Any further delay in concerted anticipatory global action on the adaptation and mitigation will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all.”
I have been a diligent student of climate science for over eight years and written over 200 columns for a local newspaper. The IPCC statement is as direct as scientists can muster. Note they say “…. miss an opportunity ….to secure a livable and sustainable future….”. This is longhand science jargon for, “change or die”.
If you move on to solutions to avoid disaster, the current solutions are wind turbines, solar panels, batteries, geothermal and a new modern grid. We even have to consider nuclear. All of these require copper, nickel, cobalt and lithium in quantities that will have to be found, extracted, and processed in large quantities.
This dilemma looms large. Do we block a mine next to our beloved wilderness area and refuse to participate in solving the climate threat? Or do we allow the mine and risk destroying the BWCAW? Or is this a false dilemma?
Let’s face it, there is NO great solution. If we do not solve the climate threat the BWCAW as we know it today, and millions of people are going to go away. (My way of saying “die”).
Can a mining company be trusted to mine responsibly? I am a 30-year veteran helicopter pilot and I say NO. I have seen too many post mining and drilling operations that prove to me there is no such thing as good unregulated mining. And even regulated mining is dangerous. Mining dams holding toxic waste have failed in British Columbia and Brazil with tragic consequences.
You do not have to go far from the BWCAW for a close to home example of unethical decision making. If it was not for Judge Miles Lord, Lake Superior would still be a mining refuse dump with 47 tons of mining waste being pumped into its pristine water every minute.
In aviation we had a saying, “In God We Trust, everything else we Check”. Any mining operation must be regularly checked. There can be NO exceptions.
In the safety-oriented aviation community, the FAA let Boeing self-regulate. You know what happened. Hundreds of people died in easily preventable crashes.
I do not want to insult any corporate officers who have good intentions. In fact, if you are one, thank you. But corporations do not come with a conscience. Their sole reason to exist is profit. Period, Full Stop. Even the best, and Boeing WAS the best, succumbed to the corporation prime directive, profit.
What is the solution? Do we need a copper/nickel mine? Humanity, in fact the whole world, needs this mine to support the green energy revolution required to stop climate change.
Having stated the unpleasant need for the ore, it is imperative all aspects of the mining operation have competent uncorruptible oversight backed by regulatory might. The oversight must include deeply committed local members of the community.
If there are breaches in environmental science, we cannot afford to go through a lengthy expensive legal process and hope the judge presiding is as incorruptible as Miles Lord.
Environmental advocates must be included and satisfied any mining WILL NOT threaten the BWCAW. Extensive safeguards must be included.
There are many dangers to anticipate and mitigate. The one which worries me the most are dams designed to hold toxic sludge. Here is a potential solution. If there is no way to avoid a dam, then double it. I served on Military Transport Ships. New supply ships are built with double hulls to prevent oil spills. Is it not reasonable to require two dams with high-capacity pumps installed in between the two damns? Additionally, today’s carbon dioxide levels have already baked in torrential mega-rain events in the near future. Damns and their support equipment and all environmental safeguards must be built and maintained to meet the projected worst-case scenarios based on climate science projections.
The blueprint for success is prior planning, regulations written to cover worst-case scenarios, and set penalties. On site containment equipment needs to be purchased and maintained. Employees must have initial and regular training in its use. Well-funded independent watch dogs must evaluate the process before, during, and after the mining. This process must be transparent.
If the mine can be done to the highest standards, we should do it. If the mine, at any point, fails to meet the environmental needs of the BWCAW, the whole process must hit the big red pause button for as long as it takes to rectify the failure. Pollution must then be cleaned up, shortcomings addressed, and fines administered.
The price of copper and nickel will skyrocket. We who love the BWCAW and Lake Superior need not be bashful with demands.
As much as I hate the idea of a mine anywhere near the BWCAW we must weigh the need to meet, halt, and defeat climate change.
My mantra is, “Show me you can do it Right or Stay Out”. We should not be fierce in our support or our opposition to the mine. We must be fiercely devoted to rational decision making by devoting ourselves to a process which protects birds, plants, fish, animals, and future generations. In other words, we should think for and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.
Leave a Reply