Print9.1.2 Social - Environment
Previously, we looked at a list of questions to help understand the social dimension of sustainability. Now we need to identify relevant questions focused on the environment dimension.
- Will the project adversely affect air or water quality during operations or after the project is completed?
- Will the project create other hazards during operations or after the project is completed?
- Will the project create nuisances, e.g. noxious odors or noise?
- Will the project spoil the landscape, or otherwise reduce the recreational value around the project?
Operating permits, legislation requiring reclamation as well as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts to protect the air and water quality, guarantee that the environment dimension is well managed... except for the last question in the foregoing list.
The intersection of the social and environment dimensions is identified as bearable. This region represents a solution in which the environmental costs of a project are deemed acceptable when weighed against the social benefits of the project. As with our last discussion of the equitable region, there is no definitive quantification of “bearable,” and as such, it is subject to the interpretation of the parties affected by the project. Consequently, this will likely be interpreted through an ethical lens. The deontological ethic would assert that the environment, including the landscape, its innate beauty, and its enjoyment is a right of everyone; and therefore, regardless of any benefit, no one has the right to impinge on the landscape. Although the surface area of land that is affected by mining is extremely small, it is generally impossible to surface mine without changing the appearance of that parcel of land. It can be reclaimed, and perhaps to even better use than before, but the original appearance is likely to be changed. Indeed, this change in appearance is often an underlying motivator for protests against mining projects.