Environment Energy Mining Watch SEE|News|The citizens of Serbia do not trust the promises of the company Rio Tinto

The citizens of Serbia do not trust the promises of the company Rio Tinto

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The initial results of the survey on the opening of the Rio Tinto lithium mine in Serbia show that citizens are largely dissatisfied with the decisions of all former governments to form such a mining plant in the Jadar River Valley, without prior consultation with locals and the interested public.

As part of the fight against the opening of a lithium mine in the Jadar River Valley, PAKT, in cooperation with BIRODI (Bureau for Social Research), launched a survey on the level of awareness of citizens about this project. So far, the survey has been completed by over 200 citizens from various parts of Serbia, mostly from Belgrade, Loznica, Sabac and places in Western Serbia.

10.22% of respondents did not hear about Rio Tinto, 56.45% of them heard only negative things, and 22.04% mostly negative things. 30.11% of the respondents are acquainted in detail with the project of the lithium mine in the valley of the river Jadar, and 44.62% are acquainted but not in detail. Only 5.38% of citizens have not heard of the project. Only 5.91% of respondents think that lithium is an ecological mineral and that it should be mined, 22.58% do not have enough information about the project, and as many as 71.51% of citizens are convinced that lithium should remain in place. That it is possible to build a mine without environmental consequences, 3.76% of them think, 21.51% are not sure, 35.48% think that it is impossible, and 39.25% are completely sure that it is impossible. Respondents in 88.71% of cases do not believe in the company’s promises that the mine will be formed according to the highest environmental standards, 7.53% do not know, and only 3.76% believe in Rio Tinto. As many as 44.62% of citizens believe that in the event of an environmental accident the consequences will be felt by the Black Sea, 28.49% could not assess, 18.28% believe that the consequences will be felt by the citizens of Belgrade, 2.69% by Sabac , 2.15% to Loznica, 1.08% to S. Mitrovica and 1.08% within a radius of 100m from the mine. A large percentage of citizens support the intention of the locals to conduct a referendum (88.71%), 5.38% are against the referendum, and 5.91% of them do not have an opinion on that.

The majority of respondents are that political interference in citizens’ protests will not help resolve the situation (50.88%), 10.62% believe that the competent ministry can help, 8.85% the Government of Serbia, 7.08% the President of the Republic, 6.64 % of the opposition party, and 4.87% of the City of Loznica.

When asked if they know any mine in the world that has brought prosperity and environmental standards to the local community and the state, 61.83% of them answered that they do not know, 24.73% of respondents do not remember, and only 8.6% of them believe that there are such examples.

Source: pakt.org.rs

 

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