Eco-justice and human well-being in Ghana’s artisanal mining communities: towards a theological ethic of sustainable community

ABSTRACT

The negative effects of Ghana’s artisanal mining industry on the sustainability of the natural environment and community life, exemplifies the dilemma of the protracted relationship between the quest for human well-being and sustainability of communities. Nevertheless, sustainable communities are crucial if the flourishing of the natural environment and engendering of human well-being would be attained. Indeed, within the indigenous African community, one is not pursued without the other, for both occur in tandem to ensure the sustainability and well-being of community. Drawing on secondary sources on artisanal mining and its drivers – human livelihoods and wellbeing – as against their social and environmental effects, this article sets out to offer an eco-justice analysis of the relationship between the quest for human wellbeing through artisanal mining and sustainable communities towards a constructive eco-justice theological ethics of sustainable community for Christian ecological praxis in the context of artisanal mining.

KEYWORDS:

• Human well-being
• eco-justice
• artisanal mining
• sustainable communities
• human livelihoods
• Galamsey

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).