THE DARK SIDE OF THE MINING 'BOOM' IN COLOMBIA

This book seeks to offer a general approaching to breaches to human rights and the adverse effects on the environment resulting from the open economic policies implemented by the last Colombian Government’s between 2002 and 2014 for the extraction of gold and coal in the departments of Antioquia, Cesar, La Guajira and Tolima.

Introduction

Economic liberalization policies and foreign investment in the current Colombian mining context

About the breach of human rights in mining areas due to forced displacement and violence against the civilian population
- International and local legal framework on internal displacement
- Facts and figures about internal forced displacement in mining zones in Colombia
- Coal mining in Cesar as an example of multinational mining companies obtaining profits from the breach of human rights
- Chapter conclusion

Adverse effects on the environment due to contamination of land, water and air in mining zones in Colombia
- International and local legal framework on the right to the environment
- Most damaging environmental impacts of mining activity in Colombia: open-pit coal mining and extraction of gold using cyanide
- The environmental impact of open-pit coal mining
- Gaining profits from the production of coal in La Guajira: at what cost?
- Environmental damage due to the use of cyanide for the exploitation of gold
- Potential environmental tragedy in Tolima: La Colosa
- Chapter conclusión

General conclusion

References