A single 0.33 ounce, 18 Karat gold ring leaves in its wake 20 tons of mine waste.
Every year, mines in the U.S. generate an amount of waste equivalent in weight to nearly nine times the trash produced by all its cities and towns combined.
The metals mining sector consumes 7 percent to 10 percent of global energy production, but its share of global employment is only 0.09 percent.
