Extracting wealth, undermining health: The impact of oil, gas and mining on global health

Many poor countries face a resource curse: They should be rich, but because they rely heavily on resources like oil and gold, they suffer from poverty, corruption, unrest, poor health, environment degradation and human rights violations. Too often, local communities have no say in the extraction of resources from their land and receive few benefits from these projects. Oxfam seeks to ensure that communities have a right to say if, and therefore how, oil, gas, and mining projects are carried out. These projects should not add to poverty and powerlessness; they should help communities overcome these challenges as part of an environmentally and socially responsible form of development.

This presentation begins with an overview of public health challenges faced by communities in oil, gas and mining rich areas. These impacts include land grabs, which undermine food security, and environmental contamination and toxic pollution, both of which have a disproportionate impact on indigenous communities.

It will then discuss two case studies. The first study looks at Doe Run in La Oroya, Peru, one of the most contaminated places in the world. The presentation will discuss the environmental health impacts of the smelter, including very high levels of lead in children, and the community campaign to shut down the smelter, which included advocacy from US communities also impacted by Doe Run's US operations. The second explores the emerging campaign in Ghana to ensure oil profits are invested in building agricultural capacity, thus ensuring revenue will support food security and public health.