Anja Benshaul-Tolonen, Paula Fernandez Musso, Mulu Gebreyohannes, Obrian Ndhlovu, Elias Charles Nyanza
As Zambia seeks to triple its copper production to meet growing global demand for critical minerals, the environmental externalities on surrounding communities warrant attention. We conducted 16 focus group discussions across eight copper mining communities in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province. Participants described pervasive dust and contaminated water as unavoidable features of daily life, linking them to poor health and declining agricultural productivity. Personal mitigation strategies, such as wearing masks against dust or chlorinating discolored water, were widely viewed as ineffective or unaffordable. Therefore, residents requested environmental sampling, communication around environmental risks, and government action. While discussions in male focus groups centered more around mobilization and calls for accountability, female focus groups expressed more resignation and reliance on God. The environmental burden experienced by the community members was accompanied by a sense of economic exclusion, stemming from limited local employment and restrictions on artisanal and small-scale mining activities. This double burden raises questions about the sector’s social license to operate in the Copperbelt.
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