Illegal miners in Ghana frequently use mercury to extract gold from ore, a process that contaminates soil and waterways. However, mercury mining and burning also release toxic vapors into the atmosphere. While mercury is not a greenhouse gas, the degradation of land it causes reduces vegetation growth, thereby weakening nature’s ability to sequester carbon. Moreover, galamsey sites often burn vegetation and use rudimentary machinery powered by diesel generators, which release carbon dioxide and black soot both powerful climate change accelerators. These pollutants linger in the air, contributing to both health hazards and climate warming.
Mercury’s impact on climate change is indirect but potent. Contaminated soils lose their ability to support plant growth, meaning less carbon is captured from the atmosphere. This worsens Ghana’s already declining forest cover. Without plants to store carbon, more heat-trapping gases remain in circulation.
The diesel generators used at mining sites emit large amounts of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. These pollutants not only harm miners and nearby residents but also contribute to global warming and poor air quality. In rural areas, air pollution from galamsey can linger due to limited wind circulation in forested valleys.
Furthermore, burning tree stumps and vegetation to clear land releases both carbon dioxide and methane. Methane, although less discussed, is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide in the short term. This means the initial stages of land preparation for galamsey are particularly damaging to the climate, even before gold extraction begins.
Credit: Amesimeku Jerry Tonyi
Video Editor / Reporter (Express News Ghana)