#Norway #mining #waste #dumped #fjords
Jan 13, 2024 at 10:48 AM Update: 30 minutes ago
Norway decided on Friday that mining waste can be dumped in the fjords. The government won a lawsuit against environmental organizations that tried to block the plan.
After a fifteen-year conflict, the company Nordic Mining has been given the green light to dump 170 million tons of mining waste at the bottom of the Førde fjord, writes The Guardian. According to critics, this threatens marine life and endangers biodiversity.
Nordic Mining will extract a substance that is used in paint, cosmetics, medical implants and artificial joints, among other things.
The company has been allowed to dump 4 million tons of waste per year. But Nordic Mining expects to lose about 1.2 million tons annually.
The area intended for this purpose is 4 square kilometers and covers 4 percent of the fjord bottom.
Two environmental organizations are paying the legal costs of the lawsuit, the court ruled. That is almost 130,000 euros. The organizations will not appeal the ruling due to limited resources. They do hope for external support.
According to the organization, the fjord is, among other things, an important breeding ground for cod and a migration route for salmon from four rivers. In addition, particles of the mine waste can be spread over a large part of the sea.
Beeld: Getty Images
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