VOA慢速英语2019--巨大的采矿废料坝可能会致命

Huge Mining Waste Dams Could Prove Deadly

A group of investors¹ has released findings from its inquiry² into how mining companies around the world store their waste.

Companies store billions of tons of waste in huge dams called "tailings dams." The inquiry found that this storage method has led to stability issues for a tenth of the structures, the investors said. The inquiry was a joint³ project of the Church of England and investment fund managers.

The dams are some of the largest structures in the world. They can be many meters deep and several kilometers wide. The refuse from mines can be made of liquid, solid materials or small particles. It is usually poisonous.

The Vale dam collapse⁴

The worldwide inquiry was launched after a tailings dam in Brazil collapsed⁵ in January 2019, killing⁶ hundreds of people in the town of Brumadinho. That dam belonged to Vale S.A., a Brazilian company that mines metals, minerals and chemicals.

In April 2019, the investors asked mining companies to provide details about their tailings dams.

The inquiry found that at least 166 dams worldwide have had stability issues in the past. But fewer than half of the companies contacted responded, leaving an incomplete picture of the safety and disaster risks.

Most Chinese and Indian companies contacted did not provide information.

"...We have seen the catastrophic consequences earlier this year in Brazil when [tailings dams] collapse," said Adam Matthews. He is a member of the Church of England's Pensions Board.

Matthews noted⁷ that many companies already operate at a high standard. But many other companies do not and "dams are continuing to fail, putting lives and the environment at risk," he added.

No industry standards

A tailings dam is the most common waste disposal method for a mining company, whether it is mining iron ore, gold or copper⁸. Yet there are no established standards, or rules, defining what a tailings dam is, how to build one and how to care for a dam when it is no longer in use.

The major investors warned they might sell their shares in the mining companies unless they got clear information on possible risks. What happened in Brazil has led to one of the largest shareholder⁹ pushes in reaction to a single disaster.

The Church of England and some other investors sold their Vale stock shares after the Brumadinho dam collapse. The company lost 25 percent of its market value right after the disaster.

Do the right thing

The Reuters news agency reports that, of the 726 mining businesses contacted during the inquiry, 43 percent responded. All the major companies, including Vale, were among those providing information, the investors said.

The information provided shows that tailings dams around the world hold more than 44 billion square meters of waste. They also show that 166 of the 1,635 dams have had stability issues, although it is unclear how bad those issues had been. And the companies reported that the problems had been resolved, the inquiry said.

The investors said they hope to finish a database of dam risks by late January 2020 and to create worldwide safety standards. Many dams will have to be forcibly closed, they told Reuters.

India and China

While North and South America are home to most of the world's tailings dams, India and China also store huge amounts of waste in such dams. That includes the Weikuang dam in northern China, which is about 11 kilometers wide.

The Weikuang dam is owned by Baotou Iron & Steel Group. That company did not answer the investors' request for information or a Reuters request for comment.

Coal India Ltd. and Metallurgical Corporation Of China Ltd. are two of the world's largest coal mining operations. The two said they did not know about the inquiry and never received the request. Both companies are controlled by their governments.

The Church of England said it hopes to work with Chinese and Indian companies over time to put together a truly complete database.

Words in This Story

stability – n. the quality or state of being not likely to give way or overturn; firmly fixed¹⁰.

manager – n. someone who is in charge of a business, department or something else

respond – v. to say or write something as an answer to a question or request

catastrophic – adj. involving or causing sudden great damage or suffering

pension – n. an amount of money that a company or the government pays to a person who is old or sick and no longer works

board – n. a group of people who manage or direct a company or organization

standard – n. a level of quality that is considered acceptable or desirable

share – n. any of the equal parts which the ownership of a business is divided into

database – n. a collection of pieces of information that is organized and used on a computer

1 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

2 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

5 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

9 shareholder   

n.股东，股票持有人

参考例句：

• The account department have prepare a financial statement for the shareholder.财务部为股东准备了一份财务报表。
• A shareholder may transfer his shares in accordance with the law.股东持有的股份可以依法转让。

10 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。