Natural Diamond Council provides scientist’s insight into eco-friendly mining

This Earth Day had a significant stride for natural diamonds. Sustainability is a broad goal and the natural diamond industry has been working with technology and resources to protect flora, fauna and the ecosystem of each and every country where the mining site is located. On this Earth Day, the Natural Diamond Council brought in a lowdown from a scientist on how feasible are the efforts of some of the biggest diamond mining countries ever in the preservation of Mother Earth.

Environmental scientist Allison Rippin Armstrong from Nova Scotia spoke with NDC on her experience spanning three decades into understanding how harmless and beneficial can natural diamond mining be for the future generations. “For people who work with diamonds, they’re not luxury items. They’re jobs. They’re money put back into the community. They’re money put back into the protection of the land … Diamonds mean roads, hospitals, nursing stations, clean water facilities, and things that mines fund and bring into areas. And they bring female empowerment,” she said.

Talking about the scientific strides in environmental conservation and the natural diamond industry’s role in it, Allison said, “It’s been proven that certain kimberlites can sequester carbon from the air. There’s a lot of money going into that research right now … We’ve got solar panels being installed as a main source of power, so not only are you seeing mines minimize their impact, you’re also seeing them invest in technology and resources that actively put resources back into the planet.”

Echoing her thoughts, Richa Singh, MD (India, Middle East), Natural Diamond Council, said that before diamonds can be unearthed, NDC members go through years of planning when they work with governments, local and regional communities and indigenous populations to protect the land and minimize the impact on the environment. “The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) continue to provide a guiding framework for all their activities. Our members are consistently involved in working towards recycling, waste reduction, water conservation and identifying alternative energy solutions to substantially reduce carbon footprint,” she added.

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