economy
‘It’s Russian roulette’: alarm as Europe backs critical minerals mines in water-stressed regions
Exclusive: European Commission planning to rewrite key law to allow water-intensive mines in regions suffering from drought
TL;DR
- The European Commission plans to rewrite the EU's water protection law to speed up the development of critical minerals mines.
- Over half of the planned "strategic project" mines are in areas that have been drying over the past two decades, according to analysis.
- Nearly half are in zones that experienced drought in the past three months, and a quarter are in water-stressed regions.
- Spain, Portugal, and Greece, which have significant water scarcity issues, host several of these strategic mines.
- Environmental groups and experts warn that weakening water protections for these mines could be reckless and cause irreversible damage.
- The mining industry advocates for changes, seeking longer deadlines for water quality targets and amendments to the "no deterioration" rule.
- The European Commission defends its plans, stating that projects will be assessed and must comply with EU environmental law.