MINING INDUSTRY IN LATIN AMERICA AND NEW ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES

Abstract

Most Latin American countries are abundant in diverse minerals. This fact determines the particular importance of the mining industry for the region’s economy. Nevertheless, the process of industrial development is extremely contradictory and conflictogenic. The article examines the resource potential of Latin America, analyzes the factors that contributed to the rise of the mining industry in the late 20th and early 21st centuries and currently determine its structural change towards the minerals necessary for the development of the so-called “”green” economy, as well as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the industry. Particular attention is paid to the impact of the mining industry on the emergence of social and environmental conflicts.