Krakow declaration
We - participants of the 21st World Mining Congress
gathered here in Poland, in the town of Krakow- representing 40 countries, which attended this Congressand Mining Expo 2008 endorse these findingsin hereby „Krakow declaration” and make commitment to undertake actions towards their fulfilment:
1. Mining is still considered the key to the economical and civilization development in many regions of the world. The important issue remains the same – to elaborate methods of mutual cooperation between the countries to make them follow the path of sustainable development and not to make mineral resources subject of political issues. Problem of mineral resources’ safety is becoming more and more important in present global world. It is important argument for further development of the mining.
2. The big challenge for the mining of the XXI century is rational utilization of the mineral resources’ deposits, which are non-renewable and are being mined out, what means for the mining activities, that tomorrow will never be the same as today. It requires continuation of new resources exploratory works in different parts of the globe including under see mining and on the other planets, as well as development of the new technologies and techniques of their recovery. It is also essential to preserve the resources and consider their future exploitation in the local development plans.
3. The times of low cost energy affluence are gone. Many things indicate, that the world is entering into the period, when energy will be recognized as a more seldom and more expensive good and that also will result in another challenges for the mining in the domain of exploring the new, more effective development techniques and technologies.
4. The other challenge for the mining is also continuously increasing depth of exploitation, both for open pit and underground mining. It means increase of mining hazards’ level having significant impact on safety work conditions. The new methods of recognition and forecasting above hazards as well as their preventive treatments are needed.
5. Present mining activities are highly dependent from the environmental conditions. The rational rules should be elaborated to enable exploitation of mineral resources with special focus on environmental requirements and keeping up with rational costs of their conducting.
6. One of the most important mineral resources in the majority of mining countries of the world is coal, both hard and brown. The actions in the domain of developing clean coal technologies are necessary. They must be implemented by the industry, especially by the power generating sector. Also certain exploration works in different directions of utilization this resource must be undertaken as well as development of other alternative technologies of CO2 management with regard to its underground storage in the geological formations.
7. We believe that mitigation of global warming resulting among the others from combustion of the coal, requires mutual and rational actions. Only joined efforts of all countries can reduce scale of this hazard.
8. The important branch of mining industry of non-energy resources is rock materials’ mining. Knowledge and social awareness of their strategic importance for the economy is limited. The innovative actions in the domain of exploitation techniques and technologies are essential for further development of this industry.
9. In order to provide continuous technological development of exploitation, mining has to have strong scientific background - implementing the requirements of the economy based on the science. The necessity to train extensively educated staff is the condition to implement the challenges, mining has to face at the turn of the XXI century. The above mentioned education should have international character and be conducive to the realization of the ideas of the World Mining Congresses’ founder - Prof. Bolesław Krupiński, which are solidarity and friendship of the miners from all over the world.
10. We would like to pay more attention on the responsibility of the politicians and the governments for the mineral resources safety – that is development of national long term strategies of mineral resources industries.
