Can the legal frameworks governing Africa's mineral wealth survive the escalating pressures of a changing climate?
 

Author:

B Kengni
 

Summary:

This article explores the legal and policy challenges raised by the combined effects of mining and climate change through water and soil pollution and energy generation. This includes highlighting how climate change issues result from the inadequate management of contributing factors by governments and mining companies. The article answers the question of whether legal frameworks applicable in the African mining sector provide for the governance of the mitigation of such effects and for management techniques that enable the much-needed capacity to adapt to climate change. Hence, the article explores how states can enhance the governance of health issues exacerbated by climate change through techniques designed to mitigate or adapt to it. The article relies on national case studies to illustrate its three lines of inquiry: the contribution of mining to climate change; how climate change affects community members’ health and how mining further exacerbates such effects; and the governance of potential climate change adaptation and mitigation methods in the mining sector and beyond.


Link to book chapter