https://www.earthmagazine.org/tags/conflict-mineral/ Recent content in Conflict Mineral on EARTH Magazine Hugo en-US American Geosciences Institute. All rights reserved. Wed, 14 Aug 2013 12:24:30 -0400 https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/building-resource-corridors-afghanistan-solution-interminable-war/ Wed, 14 Aug 2013 12:24:30 -0400 https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/building-resource-corridors-afghanistan-solution-interminable-war/ <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/building-resource-corridors-afghanistan-solution-interminable-war/AfghanistanGeologists_img_0544.jpg" alt="When possible, USGS scientists work together with Afghan geologists to create new resource maps. U.S. Geological Survey" loading="eager" decoding="async"> <figcaption>When possible, USGS scientists work together with Afghan geologists to create new resource maps. U.S. Geological Survey</figcaption> </figure> <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/building-resource-corridors-afghanistan-solution-interminable-war/figure17-original.jpg" alt="USGS researchers mapped mineral resources on remote sensing missions in Afghanistan. U.S. Geological Survey" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> <figcaption>USGS researchers mapped mineral resources on remote sensing missions in Afghanistan. U.S. Geological Survey</figcaption> </figure> <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/building-resource-corridors-afghanistan-solution-interminable-war/3468nw061.jpg" alt="Areas near Kabul are rich in copper. U.S. Geological Survey" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> <figcaption>Areas near Kabul are rich in copper. U.S. Geological Survey</figcaption> </figure> <p>Afghanistan has been ravaged by decades-long conflicts that have left it economically depressed, but the country also holds a <a href="http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/afghanistans-mineral-resources-laid-bare">potentially huge natural resource base</a>. Some estimates have put the value of the resources &mdash; copper, gold, coal, oil, gas, industrial minerals, rare earth minerals and more &mdash; between $1 trillion and $3 trillion. If those resources can be extracted and sold legitimately, they could <a href="http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/saving-afghanistan-redevelopment-one-resource-time">help the country recover from decades of violence and allow its population to reap the rewards of their considerable natural assets</a>. The sizable mineral and energy resources awaiting exploitation bring the <a href="http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/rebuilding-afghanistan">possibility of thousands of new jobs</a> and great wealth enhancement in a chronically wage-starved country.</p> https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/sec-mandates-businesses-disclose-use-conflict-minerals/ Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:48:32 -0400 https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/sec-mandates-businesses-disclose-use-conflict-minerals/ <p>Restive stakeholders crowded the auditorium at the <a href="http://www.sec.gov">U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission</a> (SEC) on Aug. 22. They were anxiously awaiting the Commission&rsquo;s final ruling on sections of the <a href="http://www.sec.gov/about/laws/wallstreetreform-cpa.pdf">Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act</a>, which would amend the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 to include a <a href="http://www.sec.gov/spotlight/dodd-frank.shtml">conflict minerals disclosure statement</a>. Commercial lawyers waited to see how the new disclosures would affect their clients, and industry representatives waited to see how the changes would affect their bottom lines. The verdict: In a three-to-two vote, the SEC ruled that U.S. businesses that file with the SEC must now disclose any conflict minerals originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).</p>