Exploring Environmental Impacts of Mined Diamonds - Part 1: The Issues

(Edit: In a rush to get to the bottom-line? Click here to jump to the more positive next part in this series!)

On an Ontario radio station an announcer once spoke about millennials hating diamonds. But as a younger millennial, now that many of my peers are at an age where they are buying engagement rings, I can't say I've noticed particularly strong hatred for the mineral itself. What could definitely be said though is that there is increased interest in the ethics of the way diamond products are produced.

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is one method that diamond retailers like Tiffany & Co. have used to dramatically cut the trade of conflict diamonds (aka blood diamonds) used to fund wars. The process includes satisfying minimum requirements, promoting national legislation, increased transparency in practices, internal trade, and a certification process for shipments. The results? The Kimberly Process official website boasts that "participants actively prevent 99.8% of the worldwide trade [of conflict diamonds.]" 

In spite of gaps still left in the pursuit of ethical diamond mining, this is an accomplishment worth celebrating. This is especially significant for an industry that has been a source of income even in impoverished areas. But while the Kimberly Process mitigates some social consequences, it doesn't take into account environmental impacts of mined diamonds. 

This short series will hopefully serve as a collection of info for anyone looking at making an informed decision about purchasing diamonds or their alternatives. The goal also isn't to make anyone feel guilty for any jewelry they might own, but help increase awareness of the impacts of one of many mined commodities from an environmental perspective.

Environmental Impacts of Diamond Mining

Land and Habitat Disruption

Beginning with the most visible impact, all systematic mining practices involve habitat disruption. Forested areas are cleared so miners can have better access to areas rich in the desired resource, and lakes are drained to reach diamonds below. It is estimated that for every carat of diamond mined, over 250 tons of earth must be moved (Constable, 2022; Oluleye).

The excavation and blasting through kimberlite (the rock that surrounds diamonds) required for underground mining also comes with obvious land disturbance.

Even artisanal alluvial mining which results in comparatively less carbon emissions, left unregulated, leaves the door open for unrestricted land and water disruption (Levin Sources, Chupezi et al). That said, because it happens on a smaller scale the direct impacts are also smaller. 

While mine rehabilitation and mine closure practices do exist, this does not leave land disturbance a moot point. In an Imperial College London report on the environmental impacts of diamond mining, the writers quote Professor Saleem Ali, distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment. Professor Saleem Ali says, “The most significant impact of mined diamonds in environmental terms is likely to be land disturbance and the overall magnitude of this is dependent on the ecosystem in which the mining is occurring."

About Alluvial Mining

The word "Alluvial" comes from Latin alluvius, which means "washed against" (USGS, 2016). Alluvial mining is a method of retrieving minerals that relies on the natural eroding forces of wind and water to transport them from kimberlite rock (igneous rock surrounding the diamond). After erosion, a diamond may be naturally deposited into the sediments at the bottom of a river where a diver can search for them.

Because most alluvial diamond deposits are hard to pinpoint, this type of mining often happens on an artisan basis, informally and unregulated, instead of industrially. It is estimated that 10% of the world’s rough diamonds are sourced via industrial alluvial mining, while a slightly larger 14% are through artisanal or small-scale alluvial diamond mining (diamondfacts.org, n.d.-a).

Alluvial mining is labour-intensive and uses much more rudimentary materials than other forms. While digging for information on the subject, I came across the artfully-drawn story of artisanal diamond-digger's job in Sierra Leone shared on vimeo here:

Credit: The Divers of Sewa (2020) by Laurent Cartier on Vimeo https://vimeo.com/444162165

Via: https://www.aureusboutique.com/abx/what-is-alluvial-mining

One expression from an artisan diver that particularly stands out is, "There are diamonds. You can work, you can fail, you can work you can fail. But the day you find, you'll prosper.... Sometimes, you can be unlucky for one or two months, but one day when you find a diamond you'll forget all that time you failed."

This quote from a tenacious worker leaves no question that diamonds themselves are both a source of income, and something that should continue to be kept in perspective as a luxury item. 

Air Pollution

Air pollution from diamond mining includes particulate matter that is transported by wind, nitrous oxide emissions, sulphur oxide emissions, as well as greenhouse gas emissions from fuel consumption (Oluleye). 

Professor Saleem Ali went on to say, "there can be additional water use and biodiversity impacts dependent on where the mining is occurring. The carbon emissions of mining are highly dependent on location. Cold climates such as Siberia or Northern Canada have larger carbon emission impacts. Artisanal alluvial diamond mining has less carbon emission impacts.”

Damage to Aquatic Ecosystems

Whether from sedimentation or disrupting particles at the bottom of water bodies, mercury pollution, or changing water ways, the mining of diamonds disrupts aquatic ecosystems. 

Since diamond extraction relies mainly on water rather than toxic chemicals, fortunately toxic pollutants are less of an issue. Meanwhile, water recycling and reduced water consumption is a larger focus (diamondfacts.org, n.d.-b).

Myth or Fact: Are natural salt-and-pepper diamonds more environmentally friendly?

From what I could gather, this is a myth.

From a social perspective artisan alluvially mined impure diamonds could be sold for more if there is increased demand for them in jewelry, so more money could go to artisan workers.

But from an environmental perspective, mined impure diamonds are no less damaging than purely clear ones. They are less in demand for jewelry but they would still be used for industrial purposes and require the same environmental costs to mine. (That said if you particularly like the salt-and-pepper look but are concerned about environmental impacts, see the box on impure lab-grown gemstones in part 2 of this series).

That's a lot to process. I'm looking to buy a diamond product, what do I do with this information?

It is up to each person to decide for themselves what is an acceptable buy. The changes in the status quo mentioned in Part 1 regarding blood diamonds is indeed a step in the right direction, and diamonds are far from the only mined product that we use. The goal of this post is not to guilt people on a single smaller part of a major problem.

However, if you are looking to buy a piece of jewelry ultimately for a good feeling but also with environmental consciousness, the good news is there are options!

Stay tuned for Part 2 on awareness and alternatives.

~~

Sources

Chupezi, T. J., Ingram, V., & Schure, J. (n.d.). Impacts of artisanal gold and diamond mining on livelihoods and ... - CIFOR. CIFOR. https://www.cifor.org/publications/pdf_files/Books/BChupezi0901.pdf

Constable, H. (2022, February 24). How diamonds are going green. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200207-the-sparkling-rise-of-the-lab-grown-diamond

diamondfacts.org. (n.d.-a). Alluvial diamond mining fact sheet. https://www.diamondfacts.org/pdfs/media/media_resources/fact_sheets/Alluvial_Mining_Background.pdf

diamondfacts.org. (n.d.-b). Diamond Mining and the environment fact sheet. https://diamondfacts.org/pdfs/media/media_resources/fact_sheets/Diamond_Mining_Environment_Fact_Sheet.pdf

The Divers of Sewa. (2020). vimeo. Retrieved December 6, 2023, from https://vimeo.com/444162165.

Le Temps. (2018, May 10). Diamond trade still fuels human suffering. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/05/10/diamond-trade-still-fuels-human-suffering

Levin Sources. (2020, November). How to bring about Forest-smart mining: Strategic Entry Points for ... https://www.levinsources.com/assets/pages/How-to-bring-about-forest-smart-mining-strategic-entry-points-for-institutional-donors.pdf

Oluleye, G. (n.d.). Imperial Consultants. imperial-consultants.co.uk. https://www.imperial-consultants.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Final-report-Environmental-Impacts-of-Mined-Diamonds-updated-8-21.pdf

USGS. (2016, June 20). EarthWord–alluvial fan: U.S. geological survey. USGS. https://www.usgs.gov/news/science-snippet/earthword-alluvial-fan#:~:text=Alluvial%20comes%20from%20the%20Latin,which%20meant%20%E2%80%9Cwashed%20against.%E2%80%9D

Edited 2023-12-08

Sprout Photo Update! Germinating Albizia julibrissi, Pink Silk Tree Seeds (Part 4)

March 1: Planting Day -- Germinating Albizia julibrissi, Pink Silk Tree Seeds (Part 3)

Because of some technical difficulties the little effect of having the date and time in red in the top right  of the photos hasn't been working, but I didn't want an affectation to delay this post any further than it has.

Update later or not, here is the photo journal of planting day for Albizia julibrissi, and I am delighted to say that eight of the 10 sprouted!

 

 

From here I won't be keeping track of them by scarification methods so much and instead just concentrating on caring for them. But up til this point, both the Clipped (the baggie with 5 seeds) and Clipped+Scarified (baggie with 3 seeds) bunches have fared the best.

Although not all of them had rooted at least 2cm yet I decided to plant all of them together at once, roughly1cm below the soil's surface.

There is one tiny one that honestly I am a little concerned about as well as the very largest because the tip of the root got stuck in the paper towel and snapped off. That said, nutrients from the soil might be exactly what they need, so I planted those as well instead of leaving them in the paper towel. (I'm tempted to spoil the outcome, but will share it in the next post instead).

 

For soil I didn't have high quality bonsai soil on hand so I used MiracleGro's Cactus, Palm & Succulent Fast-Draining Formula. It has a mixture of nutrient-rich soil to feed the sprouts and sand to keep it well-drained and prevent molding. So although it wasn't what is most highly recommended, a quick Google suggested that this often works well for bonsai tree growing and the traits sounded like what is needed. Also, Albizia julibrissi grows as an invasive species in USA, so it gave me a little extra optimism for how my little sprouts may fare living in a temperature-controlled indoor environment.

The pots I used are trainers with lots of drainage at the bottom. For now there are two per pot a couple inches apart, and then later I'll separate them into their own separate ones.

The internet cautioned to ensure the soil is kept moist so the sprouts don't dry out, and a local threat here is our cat who likes biting plants. While Albizia julibrissi is not poisonous so he would be fine, the sprouts probably wouldn't be so I also blocked them off with a giant clear lid from another gardening tray.

This project is keeping me very pumped, and I'm excited to share some growth progress with you in Part 4.

Germinating Albizia julibrissi, Pink Silk Tree Seeds (Part 2)

It is day three of germinating Albizia julibrissi seeds, and we have sprouts!

Of the ten seeds, seven of them have begun to sprout, including the one I had accidentally injured. 

Here is today's photo journal:

As shown in a couple of the photos, I had taken baggies C and S+C  (clipped and scarified + clipped) and held them in my hands to take a closer look at them. While I had washed my hands just a few minutes before, I also may or may not have been rushing a bit for work and munching on avocado toast opening the sprouts up to breadcrumb contamination, so those two bags were rinsed and the paper towel changed.

While there isn't a very large sample size, the five originally scarified seeds seem to be doing better or growing faster compared to the five that were not as a collective. The exception would be the big one paced in the center of the baggie, which was notably softer than the others part-way through the pre-germination soaking process.

It was recommended to transfer the seeds after they have developed roots 2cm long so that may be the next benchmark for part 3.

Germinating Albizia julibrissi, Pink Silk Tree Seeds (Part 1)

Over the past day I have been intermittently occupied with trying to germinate some Albizia julibrissi, pink silk trees. I've never tended to bonsai trees before but have always found them adorable and today's post is about my first steps in a second attempt at growing some from seed.

My first attempt was after receiving a kit from my good friend, Lauren, but unfortunately none of the seeds sprouted. This time I'll be using some of the equipment from that kit, but doing more supplementary research to educate myself on how to successfully raise some tiny trees.

Between the instructions on the packaging and what I read on the internet, there was a wide variety of methods for germination that can mainly be sorted into mechanical help and water-based methods, but either way there was a strong focus on getting the water to absorb into the seed despite the hard outer casing.

Over the past 26 hours or so, I have made my own process a messy mishmash of sources that using near boiling water, boiling water, nondescript "warm but not boiling water", and water at 32deg C, as well as making small cuts, scraping the outer shell, and slipping its end with a nail clipper. They include the ones to follow:

http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/1968-28--propagation-of-albizia-julibrissin.pdf

https://dailyimprovisations.com/experiments-sprout-mimosa-tree-seeds-albizia-julibrissin/

https://www.gardenguides.com/79504-propagate-silk-tree-seeds.html

https://bonsaisupply.ca/products/silk-tree-albizia-julibrissin-bonsai-seeds#:~:text=Germination%20Instructions%20for%20Silk%20Tree%20Seeds%3A&text=Soak%20them%20in%20warm%20water,soil%20thoroughly%20before%20planting%20seeds.

https://twiningvinegarden.com/shop/trees-shrubs/foliage/albizia-julibrissin-seeds-silk-mimosa-tree/#:~:text=Place%20seed%20in%20resealable%20baggie,long%20into%20communal%20growing%20pot.

Here is a photo story of the (very messy, nonlinear, patchwork) journey up til now:

Submerged all 10 seeds in a glass of warm, but not boiling water. (Maybe about 40 degrees C)

 

The next morning

A few hours later... evil plastic bag time, around 4pm

Super psyched one of the scarified ones is starting to sprout!

My process is very patchwork with too many changing variables to have an actual control group, but it is a learning experience.

Next time I will be more conservative in my clipping of the outer casing, and make it more directed at the edge where the opening will be more helpful as opposed to just scarring it across anywhere that feels convenient to hold. I will also go straight to more mechanical means of getting through the hard outer casing.

For now the seeds are sitting in the warmest part of my home, and hopefully this saga will continue with some interesting progress to tell of.

Canada's Ban on Single-Use Plastics

"Starting on December 20, 2022, with the prohibition on the import and manufacture of single-use plastic checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware made from problematic plastics, stir sticks, and straws; the prohibition on the sale of these items will come into force in December 2023"

- Government of Canada, December 17, 2022

January 2023 Study's Prediction on Global Glacier Change in the Next One Hundred Years (also, icebreaking NN's haitus)

After an extended hiatus, thank you to everyone who is still here and welcome back to Nature Nimbus. 

To break the ice, let's start with sharing a bit of research on a new study on the fate of the world's glaciers.

Global Glacier Change in the Next One Hundred Years

A study published on January 5th of this year in the journal Science estimates that there will be substantially more loss of glaciers in the next century than predicted by previous models. David R. Rounce and his team predict that this figure may look like one quarter to one half of glacier masses on the planet may melt within the next 100 years.

Chris Mooney of the Washington post writes:

"The study, published Thursday in the journal Science, finds that even with just 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming above preindustrial levels, some 104,000 of the world’s more than 215,000 mountain glaciers and ice caps will melt, raising global sea levels by a little shy of 4 inches." (Mooney, 2023)

As many people already know, glaciers are giant, ancient masses of ice. Their melt provides water, and they are so massive that whether they stay frozen or they melt significant impacts sea levels, and has implications for availability of drinking water.

The term "pre-industrial climate" could technically refer to any point in time before the industrial revolution. Left undefined, this can make for a bit of a difficult point of reference to work with because measurements of temperature available before the industrial revolution are limited. However, a study may choose to declare a more specific time range, such as an IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C using 1850–1900 as a point of reference pre-industrial temperature explaining,"[1850-1900] is the earliest period with near-global observations and is the reference period used as an approximation of pre-industrial temperatures in the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report" (IPCC, n.d.).

Further, "1.5 degrees Celsius of warming" refers to the total average temperature around the whole world, not in one smaller, more local place. This is why in spite of global warming, there can still be very intense winter storms with changing climate. Some places are warming faster than others. Predicting what effects this could have on local weather events for example can be very difficult, though many people around the world have experienced a change in climate and lived through more severe weather events than expected.

The COP21 Paris agreement in 2015 had made the goal of preventing 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming globally, though if temperatures continue to rise at the rate that they currently are, this goal will not be met (IPCC, n.d.).

A Recent Student's Perspective

Something that struck me as a student in an environmental program was the emphasis on climate resilience. I had expected much more emphasis on combating climate change itself, but instead the message I found was that one of the most critical ways civil engineers and technicians can help is to design and build infrastructure in a way helps communities accommodates expected changes in climate.

While this message could received as resignation, a more fruitful approach may be to see it as adaptation. Although it is too late to change our past choices, there is still much good that can be done when we are resolved to do the best we can to manage the cards still in our hand.

Sources

IPCC. (n.d.). FAQ Chapter 1. Global Warming of 1.5 ºC. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from 

https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/faq/faq-chapter-1/ 

Mooney, C. (2023, January 8). Half of Earth's glaciers could melt even if key warming goal is met, 

study says. The Washington Post. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/01/05/glaciers-melt-this-century-warming/ 

Dark Sky Preserves & Peak Perseid Meteor Shower August 11-13

The Perseid meteor shower has been showing its lights since July, but this week it is at its peak. From yesterday, August 11, to tomorrow August 13th it will be showering the skies with about 12 shooting stars per hour.

We are hoping for clear skies to watch from here in Southern Ontario, and if you have the chance to watch this beautiful lightshow, locations you can watch from include from your own home or favourite personal watch spot, or from designated dark sky preserves.

A dark sky preserve is an area designated as protected from light pollution. This both provides brilliant stargazing experiences, and benefits the local ecosystem as it prevents wildlife cycles from being disturbed by artificial lights.

A list of dark sky preserves can be found in the link below:

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/voyage-travel/experiences/ciel-sky

In the Greater Toronto Area nautical twilight (a time when it is dark enough to see the brightest planets) begins just before 9pm tonight. More precise local times can be looked up on timeanddate.com.