An old friend once said – for as long as we build concrete houses, there will always be mining. What he said is true. Imagine a world without mines. There would be no cement, no metal products, no cellphone or laptop, since all are made with raw materials such as iron and limestone taken from mines. Mining is thus a very old occupation, without which human progress would have been much weaker. Two important things are worth noting about mining.

Read more: Why responsible mining is needed