As the world marks the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, Dr. Abiola Bashorun, Coordinator of the Climate-Smart Agronomy/Sustainability Programme (Nigeria & USA), has introduced a project aimed at transforming solid mineral mining from environmental degradation to environmental sustainability and development.
The project, titled “Transforming Solid Mineral Mining from Environmental Degradation to Environmental Sustainability and Development,” is being developed under the Climate-Smart Sustainability Programme as an integrated framework for ensuring that the expansion of the solid-minerals sector contributes not only to economic growth, but also to environmental restoration, community development and long-term national prosperity.
According to Bashorun, the starting point is simple: “Mineral wealth should not leave environmental poverty behind.”
Mining is essential to modern development. Minerals support construction, manufacturing, transportation, digital infrastructure and the global transition towards renewable and clean-energy technologies.
Yet where mining is poorly managed, the consequences can include deforestation, degraded agricultural land, contaminated water, abandoned mine sites, erosion, biodiversity loss, air pollution and severe disruption to surrounding communities.
Bashorun said the project seeks to change that trajectory by promoting a model in which sustainability is embedded throughout the mining lifecycle—from exploration and extraction to processing, community development, mine closure and post-mining restoration.
An Integrated Sustainability Model
She explained that responsible mineral development cannot be achieved through mining policy alone, noting that the framework brings together several sectors that directly intersect with mineral-producing communities and landscapes.
These include:
- Afforestation and ecosystem restoration
- Climate-Smart Agronomy and agricultural regeneration
- Healthcare development
- Renewable and clean energy
- Finance and responsible investment
- Labour productivity, skills development and youth empowerment
- Sustainable industrialisation
- Gender equality and community development
Through this integrated approach, Bashorun said mining can become a platform for broader development rather than an isolated extractive activity.
The objective is to ensure that mineral-producing areas can emerge with restored landscapes, productive agricultural systems, improved health services, new industries, employment opportunities, modern infrastructure and stronger communities.
Protecting the Atmosphere While Developing the Earth
The International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer also reminds the world that environmental systems are interconnected.
Bashorun noted that mineral extraction itself should not be described as a principal cause of ozone depletion. However, mining and mineral-processing operations use refrigeration, cooling, fire-suppression and other industrial systems in which responsible management of refrigerants and other substances remains important.
She said responsible mining should therefore incorporate ozone-safe technologies, improved energy efficiency, renewable energy, cleaner processing methods, pollution prevention and environmentally responsible industrial equipment.
“The same principle applies beyond the atmosphere,” Bashorun said.
“Protecting the ozone layer while degrading forests, contaminating rivers or abandoning mining communities would not constitute sustainable development. Environmental responsibility must extend from the atmosphere above us to the land beneath our feet and the communities living upon it.”
From Mine Sites to Sustainable Development Corridors
Bashorun said the vision is for mineral-producing areas to become sustainable development corridors, where mining is accompanied by deliberate investment in agriculture, healthcare, renewable energy, skills development, local enterprise, environmental remediation and sustainable infrastructure.
She said young people should be trained for industries emerging around mineral development, while women and local communities should participate meaningfully in economic opportunities.
Local businesses, she added, should become part of mining supply chains, while agricultural land affected by mining should be rehabilitated wherever practicable.
Trees and ecosystems should be restored, while abandoned or degraded mine sites should be progressively remediated.
Mineral development should therefore generate economic value both during mining and beyond the life of the mine.
From Extraction to Restoration
Bashorun noted that Nigeria possesses significant mineral resources that can contribute to industrialisation, employment, foreign direct investment, technology transfer and economic diversification.
But, she stressed, the opportunity must be pursued responsibly.
“The future should not be defined simply by how much mineral material is extracted from the ground. It should also be measured by how much value is created within Nigeria, how many sustainable jobs are generated, how effectively communities benefit and what condition the environment is left in when extraction ends,” she said.
She described the transformation the project seeks to advance as:
FROM EXTRACTION TO RESTORATION
FROM ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT
FROM MINERAL WEALTH TO SHARED PROSPERITY
As the world commemorates the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, Bashorun said environmental stewardship has no artificial boundaries.
“We must protect the atmosphere above us, restore the land around us, safeguard our water resources, regenerate our forests and ensure that the natural wealth beneath our feet becomes a foundation for sustainable human development.”
Protect the Ozone. Restore the Earth. Mine Responsibly. Develop Sustainably.
