CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS CAUSED BY MINING EXPANSION ON SUMBAWA ISLAND

Mining is the backbone of the economy in developing countries that have abundant natural resources such as gold, gas, silver , etc. There are a number of  potential profits, either in the economy or in society.   Nggeboe (2011) conveys that due to the dominating effect of the existence of businesses that have been able to stimulate and push the community's economic elements, the welfare of the community in mining areas has typically improved. The community's social structure has changed as a result of the influx of newcomers who work as miners' employees or locals who open businesses close to the mines. This is because the locals living near mining areas are motivated to adapt to the shifting social structure. 

Meanwhile, Anggariani, Sahar, and Sayful (2020) state that the development of infrastructure is often done to improve society's welfare even further. They also add that the absence of the elements of feasibility studies and environmental impact analyses, however, may result in harm to the local community's ecology, economy, and sociocultural traditions. Unfortunately, the main character of the mining industry is that it is an unrenewable industry that is only temporary. If the local society is heavily dependent on a big company, when the activity of mining is over, the society's development around the second mining scope will undergo deindustrialization, as depicted by stopping both social and economic activities (Sudjojo, 2007). 

The phenomenon is happening in my region, Sumbawa, because there is a lot of legal and illegal mining on Sumbawa Island. One of the most renowned and biggest legal companies is PT Amman Mineral, which has operated since 1986. According to the official website of Amman Mineral (n.d.), until 2023, the company contributed 17% of the local regency’s regional state budget. However, the funding assistance cannot be transferred endlessly because the natural resources are limited. Also, it will be exacerbated by the various impacts causing climate change.

Therefore, innovative transformation has to  be built to know how to minimize the impact of climate change’s issues on mining activities across Sumbawa Island. One method of problem-solving that can be implemented is using eco-friendly equipment. Mining companies can switch to more environmentally friendly equipment if they want to reduce their environmental impact . A viable alternative is electric-powered mining equipment, which frequently equals or exceeds the power of diesel-powered rivals (Nichols, 2020). The use of electric engines instead of diesel ones has the potential to significantly reduce CO2 emissions caused by mining operations. 

Muhammad Isranul Hakim-Indonesia 

Reference

Amman Mineral. (n.d.). Amman Mineral. https://www.amman.co.id/

Anggariani, D., Sahar, S., & Sayful, M. (2020). Tambang Pasir dan Dampak Sosial Ekonomi Masyarakat di Pesisir Pantai. SIGn Journal of Social Science, 1(1), 15-29. https://doi.org/10.37276/sjss.v1i1.96

Nggeboe, F. (2011). Dampak Sosial Ekonomi Penambangan Batubara. Jurnal Lex Specialis, (14), 43-51. http://jih.unbari.ac.id/index.php/LEX_SPECIALIST/article/view/84

Nichols, M. R. (2020). 5 Ways to Make Mining More Sustainable. Empowering Pumps and Equipment. https://empoweringpumps.com/5-ways-to-make-mining-more-sustainable/

Sudjojo, N. (2007). The social environment management effort to build the capacity of local community around mine through community development: case study on Pt. Newmont Nusa Tenggara. Dissertation, unpublished. Malang Muhammadiyah University.  https://lib.ui.ac.id/detail.jsp?id=97015