IGF Case Study: Mine Waste Management

The document outlines the environmental and social risks associated with mine waste—such as reactive mineralization affecting air and water—and highlights the leadership of Ghana and British Columbia in implementing legal frameworks and risk response strategies. It emphasizes that both jurisdictions, despite different mining histories, can provide lessons on effective waste management to avoid catastrophic impacts on ecosystems and communities.

• Mine waste can contain mineralization that becomes reactive or is released during mining processes, potentially harming the air, water, and receiving environment.
• Governments in Ghana and British Columbia are demonstrating leadership in mine waste governance, proving that best practices can be adopted regardless of a country's economic scale or history of large-scale mining.
• Poorly managed mine waste can lead to significant or catastrophic environmental and social consequences for operations, ecosystems, and local communities.

APA

Gillman,, J. H. (2021). IGF Case Study: Mine Waste Management. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/igf-case-study-mine-waste-management

Chicago

Gillman,, Jenifer Hill,Matthew. IGF Case Study: Mine Waste Management. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/igf-case-study-mine-waste-management.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gillman, |first1=Jenifer Hill,Matthew |title=IGF Case Study: Mine Waste Management |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=14 December 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/igf-case-study-mine-waste-management |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gillman2021igf, author = {Gillman,, Jenifer Hill,Matthew}, title = {{IGF Case Study: Mine Waste Management}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/igf-case-study-mine-waste-management}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }