Discover the challenges of mining and metal consumption
This year, at Valerian Salon, the largest organic fair in Belgium, we are organizing a conference on mining in the 21st century as well as on the consumption of metals, in collaboration with DoMineurs, an anti-extractivist citizen collective. This conference will take place on September 1, 2023 from 4 to 7 p.m.
We will have the pleasure of welcoming
- Aurore Stéphant, mining geological engineer, specialist in the health and environmental impacts of mineral sectors (SYSTEXT).
- Geraldine Duquenne, Advisor ETOPIA and specialist in mining issues.
This conference will answer many questions about mining extractivism, as well as a burning topical issue, yet going unnoticed by the general public: the reopening of mines in Europe!
Conference proceedings
- First part: Mining in the 21st century: what human and environmental realities and what prospects?
Duration: 4 p.m. to 5:20 p.m.
Speaker: Aurore Stephant (SystExt)
» A very large part of Europe's metal supply depends on other regions of the world, in particular large mining countries such as China, Russia, Australia, Brazil and Indonesia. To meet exponential demand, industrial mining has intensified, pushing technical limits and regulatory boundaries. This gigantism has the effect of increasing the human, social, health and environmental impacts of this activity, already known for its particularly predatory and dangerous nature. At the same time, initiatives aimed at limiting these serious consequences have until now demonstrated their inadequacies: the concept of a “responsible” or “sustainable” mine is difficult to reconcile with the imperatives of the model on which the mining industry is based.
This first part therefore offers a look at the mining realities of contemporary mining and the foreseeable developments in mining systems. It also makes recommendations for a tangible improvement in mining practices. »
- Part two: Issues and alternatives in mining.
Duration: 5:40 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Speakers: Aurore Stephant (Systext), Géraldine Duquenne (Etopia)
Is the opening of new mines really essential? Serving which model of society? Under what democratic governance?
What are the possible alternatives and concrete avenues to reduce our dependence on mining resources? Géraldine Duquenne will bring elements around sobriety and low-tech, by attempting an overview of the implications for the different metal-intensive sectors (mobility-electric car, digital, energy, etc.). It will highlight existing initiatives, on the one hand, (politics, civil society) and those that we would like to see happen, on the other hand.
For her part, Aurore Stéphant will provide information on the use of metals in goods and services (essential uses, anecdotal uses) and proposals for a “reasoned” use of mineral raw materials. It will also address the limits of the secondary mine (design, intrinsic limits of recycling, waste streams) and proposals for “real” metallic circularity. Finally, she will discuss current supply plans and proposals for an overall reduction in metal demand.
A significant amount of time will be devoted to questions and answers!
Practical information
- Or ? At the Valériane Salon, in Namur EXPO (Av. Sergent Vrithoff 2, 5000 Namur)
- When ? On September 1, 2023, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Price ? The conference is free subject to entry to the Salon Valériane. You can find your tickets for the show here!
Recycling action: To combine information with action, bring your old smartphones to the Justice & Peace stand... And because recycling is only part of the solution, you will also find information on the consumption of minerals at time of ecological transition.
