Gold Mining’s Toxic Toll: Mercury, Cyanide, Tailings—And Gold’s CO2/ Waste Figures Rise

A new report argues that gold mining imposes major environmental and human-rights costs that are often ignored while gold prices soar. It cites that artisanal/small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the largest source of human-caused mercury pollution: miners mix liquid mercury with gold ore by hand, burn it over open fire, and release mercury vapor that enters lungs, rivers, soils, and then the food chain. For industrial mining, the article highlights cyanide leaching (heap leaching): low-grade ore is stacked and sprayed with sodium cyanide, requiring large tailings dams. It points to multiple dam failures, including Baia Mare (Romania, 2000) where an estimated 100 tons of cyanide were released after a tailings breach, followed by other disasters in Ghana (2001) and Guyana (1995). Key metrics are presented: producing about 1 troy ounce of gold averages ~0.8–0.9 tons of CO2e, while Earthworks estimates ~79 tons of waste per ounce (and ~21 cubic meters of water consumption). The report also claims gold funding supports violence and forced child labor in areas such as the DRC, Sudan, and Venezuela. Trading relevance: while this is not directly about crypto flows, the piece contrasts the ESG debate around gold versus Bitcoin’s energy use, saying both are comparable in scale of carbon footprint. For traders, this may modestly shift sentiment on “real-world” asset ESG narratives rather than changing market structure.