Politics of Mining SUPPLY AND DEMAND

Supply and Demand  The use of resources across the world are influenced by supply and demand  What we mine is determined by what we need and how much it is worth

 In cases where there are lots of supply there are few conflicts  When there is high demand and little supply, conflicts can arise

Conflict Minerals  This is really true in cases where developed countries need the resources from developing countries  The prices offered for these resources can cause problems

What is the connection?

Conflict Minerals  These are minerals mined in conditions where human rights are abused in the process  The trade of some of these minerals fund the groups that keep this violence going  These are most commonly talked about in The Congo in recent times

Examples of Conflict Minerals  Tin  Diamonds  Tantalum  Gold  Tungsten  Others…

Discuss  What are some ways that you can think of that we can think of to reduce these conflicts over minerals  Make a list to share

The Politics  Many people in the developed world have called for increased transparency from companies to prove that they are not selling minerals from these areas

Human Rights  Tomorrow we will begin on the human right tile project  convention.html convention.html