Latest News

France's Macron wants to manage prohibited gold mining in French Guiana

French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Monday the federal government is seeking to designate new managed gold mining zones in its South American territory of French Guiana to combat prohibited mining and its environmental effects.

In an address from the territory ahead of a three-day trip to Brazil, Macron stated France was thinking about drafting a plan within 3 months for areas with essential gold reserves.

Workers in these areas would be held to sustainable mining guidelines, Macron said, consisting of an existing restriction on mercury, a. hazardous metal illegal and small miners utilize in extraction. which leakages into rivers, forests, spreads and oceans to human. populations.

Unlawful miners in the area release around 1.3 kg of. mercury for each kg (2.2 pound) of gold extracted, World Wide. Fund for Nature (WWF) information showed.

The program would bar prohibited miners, numerous from surrounding. countries, from getting in these areas and restrict their activities. encouraged by rising gold prices, Macron added.

Gold, a safe-haven property which tends to increase in times of. geopolitical risk, has actually included over 10% in worth from a year ago,. nearing $70 per gram.

Last year, Macron said an estimated five metric tons of gold. had been extracted from the area, many unlawfully, and 35 kg. ( 0.04 tons) were seized by authorities.

Macron said taken gold would now be sold to return funds to. the territory, notably through jobs linked to treating the. effects of prohibited mining.

Macron said he is likewise seeking to improve cooperation with. Suriname and Brazil on breaking up illegal supply chains and. enhancing military coordination, with the objective of completing a. method by the 2025 United Nations Climate Modification Conference.

(source: Reuters)