New research has found that 4,642 species of vertebrate are threatened by mineral extraction around the world through mining and quarrying, and drilling for oil and gas.
New research has found that 4,642 species of vertebrate are threatened by mineral extraction around the world through mining and quarrying, and drilling for oil and gas.
Mining activity coincides with the world's most valuable biodiversity hotspots, which contain a hyper-diversity of species and unique habitats found nowhere else on Earth.
The biggest risk to species comes from mining for materials fundamental to our transition to clean energy, such as lithium and cobalt – both essential components of solar panels, wind turbines and electric cars.
Read More: University of Cambridge
Southern Ghana is a global hotspot of extraction-induced threats to biodiversity. Artisanal small-scale alluvial gold mining like this threatens important bird areas through environmental mercury pollution. (Photo Credit: David Edwards)
