A STUDY OF GEOETHICS AND ENVIRONMENTALLY, SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES FOR MINING MINERALS IN INDIA

The increasing incorporation of moral concerns and ethical values into industry practices could be a recent trend in mining governance, often enclosed underneath the umbrella term ‘responsible mining’. The effects of anthropogenic change require a strengthening of the socio-political and socio-economic anchoring of geoethical thinking. Geosciences are more than just technical and scientific disciplines. Geoscientific expertise connects geosciences and people's social life. The earth sciences are relevant to the functioning of societies, namely the operation of a techno sphere at local, regional and planetary scales. Therefore, expertise in geosciences includes a school of philosophical thought called Geoethics. Although originally conceived for professional use, geoethics should support the individual, professional and civil society actions of every citizen. India is blessed with important and large amounts of various natural resources that are primarily divided into 5 categories: fuel, metallic, non-metallic, atomic and minor minerals. The mining sites are generally in faraway and underdeveloped places along with indigenous lands and territories which are frequently ecologically sensitive. Mining enterprises have the ability to effect the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly, though historically a poor effect has been recorded that works against the fulfilment of the goals. We discuss a few suggestions for responsible mining that are all ethical practices to be followed by the mining sector in India.