Although diamonds are supposed to be forever, it’s the human love affair with gold that has been truly lasting. For thousands of years, since even before the time of King Tut, gold has been prized for its beauty and value. It’s no wonder, then, that so much gold is sitting in jewelry boxes and central bank vaults. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that 171,300 tons (PDF) of gold have been mined throughout history. And that total is rising by about 3,000 tons a year.
Nothing’s wrong with gold. The problem is that gold mining is extremely bad for the environment. Modern gold mining methods generate about 20 tons (PDF) of toxic waste for every gold ring. Gold mining pollutes the air and water with toxic substances such as cyanide and mercury. The leading cause of mercury pollution today, ahead of even coal-fired power plants, is gold mining. And it’s partly because of gold mining that the Amazon rainforest is being destroyed and that mercury levels in fish are so high.
They could stop using mercury or stop dumping their toxic waste (PDF) in rivers and oceans. But there’s an even better solution: the world simply could recycle more of the gold we already have.
Source: GreenBiz