gold mining is killing the planet

* The industry consumes a tenth of the world’s energy,
* It spews out 30-50% of the globe’s toxic emissions
* It imperils 40% of the frontier forests
* It is the world’s most polluting industry, in the conventional sense of causing waste and toxic effluents.

(The top prize could go to the nuclear industry which, while admittedly not causing global warming, produces the most harmful waste, which remains radioactive for thousands of years and is virtually impossible to store, not counting the omnipresent risk of catastrophic accidents in power plants.)

A single gold ring generates a staggering 20 tonnes of waste!

http://www.nodirtygold.org/pubs/20TonsMemo_FINAL.pdf

Just a short run around the worlds biggest gold mining disasters. the biggest of course was called the worst disaster since Cernobyl. It killed 450 ton of fish and completely destroyed a river for 10 years

http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/0/9/1/8/p109181_index.html

or lets go to Papua New Guinea a few weeks ago where Violence surrounding a PNG mine raises questions about the company's responsibility.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/06/09/1244313137827.html

The convoy of LandCruisers halted at the base of the hill overlooking the mine pit. Police tumbled out of the trucks and worked their way up the hill, burning every structure they found. Homes, shanties, pig stys and market gardens were torched.

Violence is not new to the Porgera Valley in Papua New Guinea's central highlands, but since the gold mine came it has changed. Now, rather than ritualised tribal warfare, there are reports of shootings by police, mine security and bandits, of rapes and beatings, of drug running and a lethal blackmarket in mercury, which is used to leach gold from stolen ore. There is prostitution and bootlegging, and an increase in domestic violence and sexually transmitted disease.

for all the folks taking the moral high ground here gold absolutely destroys our environment here is one in Costa Rica thats been closed indefinitely

http://www.miningweekly.com/article/costa-rican-gold-mine-suspended-over-pollution-risks-2007-09-28

And it happens all over Australia as well

http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=440

It goes on and on whats the damn point in getting rid of fiat money when what you replace with is one of the most toxic activities known to mankind?

http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/gold/spills.htm

Is gold really all that great, what benefit is it to anyone?