Mineral resource development: Geopolitical, economic, and environmental issues

Previous studies of mineral resource development have largely ignored geographical issues in the discussion of development alternatives and policy options, concentrating instead on single-industry or single-commodity analyses. This book offers several examples of recent efforts to understand locational problems that affect decisions in the mineral and energy industries at the international, national, and regional levels. In addition, it addresses the economic and institutional factors that affect mineral resource development. The contributors, who include geographers, mineral economists, and representatives of mining and processing industries and government agencies, discuss geopolitical problems in mineral production and distribution, global patterns of investment in mineral production, pricing and market speculation in minerals, and environmental and social issues in resource development.