As the historic COP26 begins, many are calling for more drastic measures to be taken by countries to become carbon neutral, preserve ecosystems and improve environmental sustainability. The oil, meat, and textiles industries are often targeted when pushing for this drive towards net zero. However, one industry is often overlooked in this drive for sustainability – crystals. While many have heard the term “blood diamonds”, coined to describe diamonds sourced from areas of conflict these gems are often not linked to the word “crystals”, despite the various impacts of crystal mining and transportation. Indeed, despite increased drive on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram to become more eco-friendly, crystal purchasing has gone through the roof since the pandemic. The crystal market was worth an extraordinary $4 trillion at the end of 2019, with many businesses getting free advertising on digital platforms. So just how bad are crystals for the environment?
Not all crystal mining is created equal, with different processes having vastly different impacts on the surrounding environment and increase of CO2 levels. Perhaps the most well know method of this is open cast mining, which is primarily used to extract diamonds and coloured gemstones that lie close to the surface of the ground. This is done by digging directly downwards, eventually forming a pit that can be up to 1.2km wide. This has a very large influence on the surrounding environment, creating huge greenhouse gas emissions as well as destroying any vegetation or habitats that were previously above the mine. After the mine is exhausted, they often undergo land rehabilitation by the companies to exploited them to fill and stabilise the area, often with the aim of converting the area back into a natural ecosystem. However, this does not negate the large impact crystal mining has on the environment, especially the displacement of local fauna who are unlikely to return to the area. Another method of crystal extraction is underground mining, where shafts and tunnels are dug underground to reach buried deposits which are brought to the surface through tunnels. Whether a pick-axe or a blast is used to remove the gems, the impact on the area is still great – disturbing several layers of the earth and explosives such as dynamite releasing CO and CO2, one of which is poisonous and the other contributing to the greenhouse effect. While this method doesn’t directly impact the top layer of the ground, it still makes the surrounding area inhospitable for life due to the large machines and infrastructure needed to carry out an underground mining operation. River digging could be called the method that has the smallest environmental influence, where gemstones such as opals, amethyst and jasper can be panned from riverbed sediment. This has a relatively small impact on surrounding ecosystems, as no CO2 is released during the process, and it can be safely carried out on small scales. Despite this, frequent foot tracks can damage plants near the river and the disruption of river sediment can affect organisms who live or lay eggs in it, making it unsustainable on large scales.
Overall, crystal mining has huge negative impacts for the environment– habitat loss and water contamination being just a few of them. While crystals were originally mined ethically by Native Americans, it is clear that the sustained large demand for these “shiny rocks” has led to a decline in the sustainability of the practice as it is now almost exclusively commercialised. Another factor that makes crystals less sustainable is that many of them originate in less than 10 countries and have to be transported large distances to buyers. For instance, the crystal “Cinnabar” is only found in China and the United States. Current methods of transport, such as container ships and aviation, release massive amounts of CO2 into the air every flight – an aircraft emits around 90kg CO2 per hour, and so flying Cinnabar from New York to a buyer in the UK would therefore release 630kg of CO2 from travel alone. This release of greenhouse gases speeds up the enhanced greenhouse effect and is incredibly unsustainable. Therefore, the transportation of crystals also has drastic environmental consequences.
However, the mining of crystals doesn’t only have environmental consequences – it can have severe social consequences as well. Lapis Lazuli is a well-known crystal famed for its blue appearance streaked with lines of gold (pyrite), making it popular with crystal fanatics and aesthetic purchasers alike. It was originally used as part of jewellery in Ancient Egypt, and in the 1500s onwards popularly ground into a vivid blue pigment for painters to use. However, Afghanistan currently has the world’s leading source of the gem, with some speculating it contains 80% of the world’s supply of the gemstone. Afghanistan was overtaken by the Taliban in August 2021, and so some say that buying this gem risks money flowing into a terrorist organisation. Crystal shops are often highly secretive about their suppliers to avoid the risk of others poaching them and negatively affecting their business, but this has had the unintended consequence of allowing for the sale of gems to line the pockets of criminals and corrupt governments with little transparency. It is ironic that those who use crystals for spiritual or aesthetic purposes, and so are often highly invested in environmental causes, can unintentionally be fuelling the destruction of ecosystems and giving money to extremist groups that cause conflict.
COP-26 has come about with the aim of people uniting to help slow down global temperatures and climate change. Already, over 100 countries have pledged to end deforestation by 2030, showing the power of collaborative action. Demanding change through your purchasing power can also have a powerful positive impact, and so there are several steps that can be taken to source and buy crystals responsibly. Primarily, the onus is on consumers to buy from certified sellers who can provide evidence of good practice by their suppliers, as well as the country of origin of their crystals, to ensure only corporations with good environmental practices are supported. Advocate for stronger environmental and social laws that crystal miners and suppliers must follow, making certain they have to reduce their impact on the environment and ensure fragile ecosystems are not disturbed. As David Attenborough once said, “Real success can only come if there is a change in our societies and in our economics and in our politics.”
