%0 Journal Article
%T Neoliberal Mining amid El Ni o Induced Drought in the Philippines
%A William N. Holden
%J Journal of Geography and Geology
%D 2012
%I 
%R 10.5539/jgg.v5n1p58
%X In recent years the government of the Philippines, acting in adherence to the principles of neoliberalism, has encouraged large-scale mining as a method of achieving economic development. The islands of the Philippines are, however, highly vulnerable to El Ni o induced drought. Mining can interfere with groundwater resources, aggravate an El Ni o induced drought, and deprive the rural poor of much needed water thus causing a disaster wherein a natural hazard impacts a vulnerable population. The possibility of mining adversely interacting with El Ni o induced drought is aggravated by the deforestation of the Philippines and may well worsen due to anthropogenic climate change. Subjecting mining projects to environmental impact assessment and the mining industry¡¯s purported use of best practices in environmental management appear to be ineffective methods for ameliorating the risks posed by mining amid El Ni o induced drought. These risks have generated substantial civil society opposition to mining in the Philippines.
%U http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jgg/article/view/23214