Is Your Diamond Engagement Ring A Culprit Of Global Warming?

Diamonds. Women love them, men love to give them; they are glamorous and glitzy and simply fabulous! But, how does the environment feel about your diamond wedding ring or your diamond stud earrings? It's easy to forget that diamond mining can be detrimental to our Earth's most precious resources.

Any kind of mining - whether diamond mining, gold mining or coal mining - upsets the environment. While diamond mining is less harmful than some other forms of mining which use toxic chemicals to remove minerals from the earth, all mining, by nature, involves digging up and moving large masses of land. Any land disturbance obviously affects a local ecosystem. 

Reduction of plant life and vegitation can seriously affect biodiversity.  It can kill off a species, removing their entire food supply. In the best case scenario, it causes wildlife to relocate to more fertile areas, areas that might be unfamiliar and dangerous.

In addition to issues of biodiversity, land disruption also raises issues of waste and water pollution. A massive shifting of land can easily lead to erosion, underground water leakage, and nearby water-source pollution. This not only affects animals, but humans too.

Let's not forget about energy use.  Most of the machinery that operates these mines runs on diesel fuel, bringing up issues of energy efficiency, air-pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Road-paving and vehicle access is also an environmental concern. Road-paving usually involves deforestation.  And vehicles entering and exiting  mines located in remote and pristine areas can  trample habitats with tire-tracks, destroying the earth and frightening off wild life.  Sometimes the simple act of sampling an area to check its potential diamond yield can affect the surrounding ecosystem.

One of the major problems regarding diamond mining and the environment is the lack of international or local governmental regulation. Most countries simply don't have any infrastructure in place that controls the size, depth, energy use, water use, or waste removal procedures. Especially in conflict-ridden countries, mines can typically be built without running into any red tape at all regarding their mining procedures and their environmental impact.

Some mines have left irreparable damage behind. Mirny mine in Sibera, for example, the biggest, deepest mine in the world, has been closed and abandoned with no attempt to mend the wounded earth. In fact, its massive size has created a low-atmospheric zone above its mouth which has "sucked- in" several helicopters attempting to fly overhead. The air-zone above it is now a no-fly zone.

This is not to say that there is no hope. The international diamond industry has recognized the need for environmental and ecological guidelines in diamond mining and many private mines have picked up on growing consumer demand for environmentally conscious bling. Simple mindful planning before beginning a mining venture can make a world of difference. During  sampling, these mines make an attempt  to move as little land as possible, and they  take care to replace topsoil cautiously. Man-made vehicle tracks are also reused to reduce impact.

The most environmentally aware diamond mines take measures to constantly purify water, to monitor nearby animal populations that may be endangered by the mining, to set up temporary living environments for displaced animals, and to re-vegetate and re-soil all of the land that had been mined once the mine is completed. Also, because it takes so much energy to fuel diamond mining, many energy saving techniques are also enforced such as using solar panels, hot water timers, battery-powered vehicles, and hydro-electric power generators. The most stringent government enforcement regarding diamond mining exists in Canada where there are specific mining regulations are in place. This doesn't promise 100% environmental recovery, but it certainly helps.

There is only so much that regulators and diamond mining companies will do, however, if they don't have educated customers that demand change. Education, knowledge and action are always the key to initiating positive and constructive modifications and curbing environmental damage. So if you are looking to buy a loose diamonds, cut diamonds or diamond jewelry and the environment is a concern, ask your retailer which mine the diamond came from and check them out. Look over their web page for information regarding their environmental policies. Ask your retailer what kind of environmentally conscious packaging they might use, if any. And, don't forget to talk to friends to spread the word that buying environmentally sound diamond jewelry can make a big difference.