GOLD: After the Shine
SHOW NOTES
SHOW NOTES
Gold has been an object of desire forever. Why? It's shiny! Humans like shiny things. Gold is also scarce, which adds value. There are rarer metals than gold, but the yellow metal is more recognizable to the naked eye. There has been a cultural feedback mechanism over the centuries so that we get taught that gold is valuable, therefore it is. So, it is a more obvious sign of status and conspicuous consumption. That's why we make our most significant objects, wedding rings, Olympic medals, Oscars, money, religious art from this hot blonde metal.
Gold has been an object of desire forever. Why? It's shiny! Humans like shiny things. Gold is also scarce, which adds value. There are rarer metals than gold, but the yellow metal is more recognizable to the naked eye. There has been a cultural feedback mechanism over the centuries so that we get taught that gold is valuable, therefore it is. So, it is a more obvious sign of status and conspicuous consumption. That's why we make our most significant objects, wedding rings, Olympic medals, Oscars, money, religious art from this hot blonde metal.
Unfortunately the days of the old prospector and his mule finding giant nuggets and rich veins of gold are over. Today the gold we mine comes in the form of tiny microscopic specks. To extract those small flakes we have to use toxic substances like mercury and cyanide. A lot of it. The gold used to make a single gold ring produces 26 tons of mine waste - the weight of more than seven African elephants. To do all this it takes a mining infrastructure that is inconceivably colossal. Give a listen for alternative sources of guilt-free gold.
Unfortunately the days of the old prospector and his mule finding giant nuggets and rich veins of gold are over. Today the gold we mine comes in the form of tiny microscopic specks. To extract those small flakes we have to use toxic substances like mercury and cyanide. A lot of it. The gold used to make a single gold ring produces 26 tons of mine waste - the weight of more than seven African elephants. To do all this it takes a mining infrastructure that is inconceivably colossal. Give a listen for alternative sources of guilt-free gold.
Also we are introducing a new feature, "A little bit of hope" because we could all use more of that.
Also we are introducing a new feature, "A little bit of hope" because we could all use more of that.
All the Gold in the World
All the Gold in the World
WE HAVE ALWAYS DESIRED GOLD: In the 1970s, archaeologists in Bulgaria stumbled upon a vast Copper Age necropolis from the 5th millennium BC containing the oldest golden artifacts ever discovered near the modern-day city of Varna.
WE HAVE ALWAYS DESIRED GOLD: In the 1970s, archaeologists in Bulgaria stumbled upon a vast Copper Age necropolis from the 5th millennium BC containing the oldest golden artifacts ever discovered near the modern-day city of Varna.
Artisanal Mining with a side of Mercury
Artisanal Mining with a side of Mercury
A quarter of the world's supply of gold comes from artisanal gold mining, which leads to the release of approximately 1000 tons of toxic mercury a year. Of the 20 million artisanal gold miners, an estimated 2.5 million are women and over 600,000 are children.
Toxic Legacy of Hydraulic Mining from over a Century Ago
Toxic Legacy of Hydraulic Mining from over a Century Ago
Hydraulic Mining Today
Hydraulic Mining Today
Environmental Destruction From Hydraulic Gold Mining
Environmental Destruction From Hydraulic Gold Mining
Children Panning for Gold for Fun
Children Panning for Gold for Fun
Children Mining Gold for Real
Children Mining Gold for Real
Playing for Keeps: Open-Pit Mining
Playing for Keeps: Open-Pit Mining
Any Kind of Mining is a Dirty Business
Any Kind of Mining is a Dirty Business
Can Mining be made more Sustainable?
Can Mining be made more Sustainable?
Videos: Gold Mining's Wreckage
Videos: Gold Mining's Wreckage
India's Obsession with Gold
India's Obsession with Gold
Get Your Gold Fix Here
Get Your Gold Fix Here
Is Recycled Gold a Myth? Is Fair-Traded Gold the Answer?
Is Recycled Gold a Myth? Is Fair-Traded Gold the Answer?
“Eco” Recycled Gold is a Greenwash BS Jewelry Lie
Is recycled gold ethical, eco-friendly, or sustainable? The answer is, NO. Here's why: Right now, gold mining is transforming intact ecosystems all over the ...
The only certified ecological gold mine in the world is in Mongolia
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