Diamond is the most valuable and the hardest stone on earth, it is not only used for beauty but for many utilities. Diamonds are not only cut for Jewelry, but it is also used for cutting tools like saw blades and drills because of their extremely hard and durable nature. Diamonds are extracted from earth with a cost, often this cost is environmental and sometimes the cost is human blood!
Destruction Caused by Diamond Mining
The environmental destruction is inevitable when it comes to diamond mining even if the mines were managed and taken care of. Diamond mines like most mines are open pit mines, thus requiring the digging of thousands of square meters of land. Some diamond mining operations are done on the beach or off shore, this will mean that large quantities of sand and rocks are removed and dumped else where. This also means that some coral reefs will be damaged or totally destructed by these mining operations. Given that most diamond mining operations are done in countries of the third world, and mostly in Africa, this means that there is little care for the environmental effects of mining, where the problem is that the environmental impact is not limited to the mining area.
Role of Governments in Reducing the Damage
In many African countries that are rich in diamond reserves are very poor in the enforcement of mining laws, open pits are left once all the diamond is extracted allowing the excavated dirt to be blown by the winds to farmlands and rivers. In other countries where mining is regulated by strict laws that force the mining company to restore the lands that were strip mined, sometimes these programs promise to fill the excavated land and replant it with native foliage. Nevertheless, such programs are not successful because it takes decades for an ecosystem to restore as often times many animals that play vital role in the process of such restoration. Therefore, the environmental impact is catastrophic even with the filling of the pit and planting the land.
Diamond Means Blood
In addition to the environmental impact, diamond is often responsible for the death of many human lives. As in unstable corrupted countries in Africa, diamond extracted from the land is often sold and the revenues help funding militias in buying weapons, this means that diamond extraction means killing people!. We as diamond consumers must be aware of this aspect too. I'd recommend trying to make sure from where the diamond you are buying is extracted from. However, it is best to stop buying diamond as in corrupted countries it is often easy to bribe people responsible for tracking diamond sources.
Finally, as diamond has many uses in industrial uses and looks exceptionally wonderful in jewelry. It is hard to find diamond that is not stained with blood or devastating environmental impact. We need to be aware of the diamond impact, and we need to force governments to ensure diamond sources that are harmless to humans and environment.