Russian Arctic peoples appeal to Elon Musk for Nornickel boycott
2020-08-11 11:14:59 [Print]
A group of indigenous people in Russia are asking Tesla Inc's Elon Musk to stop buying supplies from miner MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC until the company compensates them for environmental damage to their ancestral lands.
"The lands of indigenous people appropriated by the company for industrial production now resemble a lunar landscape," members of the Aborigen Forum network wrote in an open letter to Musk. "Traditional use of these lands is no longer possible."
The group is asking Nornickel to assess the damage from a massive fuel spill in the Arctic earlier this year, revise its policies toward indigenous peoples and to re-cultivate contaminated areas in the Taymyr Peninsula and Murmansk Oblast, where the company's operations are based.
The appeal comes after Musk last month promised a "giant contract" to companies mining nickel in an environmentally sensitive way.
The letter adds to pressure on the Russian mining giant, which has long been criticized for its environmental record. It is contesting a fine of as much as $2 billion for the May fuel spill.
"The lands of indigenous people appropriated by the company for industrial production now resemble a lunar landscape," members of the Aborigen Forum network wrote in an open letter to Musk. "Traditional use of these lands is no longer possible."
The group is asking Nornickel to assess the damage from a massive fuel spill in the Arctic earlier this year, revise its policies toward indigenous peoples and to re-cultivate contaminated areas in the Taymyr Peninsula and Murmansk Oblast, where the company's operations are based.
The appeal comes after Musk last month promised a "giant contract" to companies mining nickel in an environmentally sensitive way.
The letter adds to pressure on the Russian mining giant, which has long been criticized for its environmental record. It is contesting a fine of as much as $2 billion for the May fuel spill.
Nickel Ore Philippine 1.5%min CIF China
Unit:USD/mt
China refined nickel producers' inventory to production ratio statistics by province by month
Unit: %
