Unearth Justice campaign: tough action on pollution

Communities in Honduras living alongside the Entermares mine [Annie Bungeroth]

Mining is often a cause of conflict, environmental destruction and toxic pollution. Since 2006, you have been calling on companies and governments to end this injustice, and give poor communities a greater say in whether mining is allowed, how it operates, and who benefits, as part of our Unearth Justice campaign. Our actions are seeing results.

Over 50,000 people have taken action to demand responsible gold mining, and to shine a spotlight on the activities of mining companies in Honduras, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Philippines.

Action on pollution

Now, after a CAFOD investigation, staff from a mining company in Honduras face criminal charges over mine pollution. Authorities in Honduras have filed criminal charges against senior officials of Entremares – a wholly-owned subsidiary of mining giant Goldcorp - based on CAFOD’s evidence of severe water contamination.

The data gathered at the San Martin gold mine in the Siria Valley area of Honduras revealed dangerously high acidity and metal concentrations in water flowing into a local stream. The information CAFOD uncovered was part of an official water monitoring report at the mine but was not disclosed or acted upon by the Honduran Government’s department for mineral resources or Goldcorp.

Goldcorp is one of the world’s largest gold mining companies and has consistently denied that the San Martin mine has caused environmental damage. On top of the undisclosed water monitoring report, Newcastle University experts also gathered visual evidence of acid mine drainage close to the mine site.

CAFOD Policy Analyst Sonya Maldar said: “We welcome the news that action has finally been taken against Goldcorp on the basis of CAFOD’s evidence and local community concerns.

“Given that Entremares is applying for new mining permits in Honduras, it is essential to get to the bottom of events at San Martin and ensure that the people of Honduras don’t pay the price of pollution in the long term.” More information about the charges and the data on which they are based >>

Big success

This is not only positive news for mining communities and campaigners in Honduras, it is also helping strengthen the campaign in other countries.

“I am happy that a government has taken strong decisions about mining pollution,” says Father Alfred Buju, mining campaigner from Mongbwalu in the DRC. “I see it is a big success for CAFOD and Caritas Honduras, resulting from the Unearth Justice campaign.

“For me, as one of the key CAFOD partners in this campaign, I am encouraged in my struggle on behalf of local communities, knowing that very soon my people in Mongbwalu might be facing the same reality.”

Increased transparency

Meanwhile, positive steps are being taken in the USA to increase transparency of energy and mining companies. The actions of the Publish What You Pay coalition , of which CAFOD is a member, have helped lead to the passing of a new law. The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, signed in July, includes a landmark provision that requires energy and mining companies registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to disclose how much they pay to foreign countries and the US government for oil, gas, and minerals.

This Act can help promote transparency in the oil and mineral sectors and immediately shed light on billions in payments between multinational corporations and governments. The aim of the new law is to give people the information they need to monitor companies and to hold governments accountable.

The US government claims that this provision will set a new standard for corporate transparency – a core demand of the Unearth Justice campaign.

The challenge for us and for our partners worldwide is to continue to use research, campaigning and political action to make responsible mining a reality, so that people in poverty can benefit from the wealth beneath their feet. This news from Honduras is a clear step in the right direction.

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