The Eclectic Magazine The Eclectic Magazine | Page 18

POLITICS
THE GROWTH OF THE MINING
INDUSTRY IN COLOMBIA AND 
ITS  NEGATIVE  EFFECTS.
BY CAMILO VARELA
Colombia is a rich country that has great ecological
biodiversity and plenty natural resources. The country
is located on the corner of two great oceans: Pacific
and Atlantic. It is one of the most biodiverse countries
on the planet with a lot of plants and animals.   Also,
Colombia has a lot of  minerals as the coal, gold, silver,
emeralds, iron, and nickel.   Nowadays, Colombia is
becoming one of the biggest   mineral producers
around the world. The export of minerals is being
increased in the country. Colombia has had an
important participation in the continental production
of nickel and ferronickel along  the history. But this
source of wealth is changing the lives of many
Colombian people. The growth of the mining industry
in Colombia has brought impacts such as the increase
of the poverty, the damage to nature and  the violation
of human rights.
The poverty has increased in the regions where these
non-renewable resources are extracted. People who
live in those places does not have the minimum
conditions to lead a decent life. They are not having
access to basic services such as potable water, sewer
system, street lighting ,hospital network, education
system. The royalties generated from the extraction of
these natural resources   have not been inverted in
science and technology. The  corrupt politicians have
stolen thousands of millions of general budget of the
Nation. This is one of the cause poverty and
backwardness in Colombia.
TEM
|   18
December 2019