Can mining gold be sustainable?

In Madre de Dios, Peru, gold mining supports thousands of livelihoods while leaving mercury pollution and deforestation across a major stretch of the Amazon. In La Pampa, a formalized artisanal operation is testing mercury-free technology in hopes of proving small-scale mining can be done cleanly.

The transition is not simple. The project contends with violence, informal economies, bureaucratic obstacles, and thin government support, according to the accounts of miners, workers, and local businesses documented in the film.

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