Technological Change and the Environmental Imperative: Challenges to the Copper Industry

The environmental imperative exerts strong pressure on polluting industries in the industrialized countries. Environmentally-friendly technologies are available but often at prohibitive costs. Using evidence from the copper industry, this book addresses the question of how polluting industries in developing and transition economies have responded to this challenge. The volume considers the extent of the success of polluting industries in becoming cost-efficient whilst acquiring less polluting technologies, in the face of fierce competition. The authors also discuss what has been the impact of privatization on this process and what lessons have been learnt. Against this backdrop, and drawing on case material from Chile, China, Peru and Russia, the book goes on to assess the latest technological breakthroughs, and their possible future impact on cost efficiency and the environment.