Foot-and-Mouth disease
Foot-and-mouth disease, FMD or hoof-and-mouth disease (Aphtae epizooticae) is a highly contagious and sometimes fatal viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic animals such as cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats and pigs, as well as antelope, bison and other wild bovids, and deer. It is caused by foot-and-mouth disease virus.
Wikipedia Foot-and-mouth disease
Miyazaki prefecture is one of the important location of cattle in Japan. "Miyazaki-beef" is famous and expensive brand which established reputation. Unfortunately, foot-and-mouth disease occurs in Miyazaki prefecture and rapidly expanding there. 150 thousands of cattle and pigs are expected to be killed in total until the end of this month. That include most of stud bulls.
If you want to treat the disease, that is possible. In addition, human beings were never infected with the disease. However ,the problem is not whether human being can treat or not. Pigs and cattle are "economical" animals. I do not say that they work hard like Japanese. They are fed for profit. The fact prevent them from treatment. Yes, it is possible to treat them. However, once they have the disease, they are not profitable anymore. Red profit immediately mean that they have no value to live (if not, owners cannot live instead!).
Similar theory is true to mine. When you develop mine in open-pit, you need to calculate the angle of slope and calculate how much resources(e.g. coal, iron etc.) can you extract. You cannot remove soil or rocks for free. The costs are proportional to the ratio of soil/resources. If you cannot extract resources profitable, the resources is not resources.
Of course, it is not science. It is completely economy and I am not interested in this kind of talk. In addition, that means that the measurement for environment should be restricted by economy. That was one of the reason I change my major from engineering to science. I chose my major not for development but for environmental-friendly technology*1.
We cannot blame Japanese government or mining engineers. All we should do is to know the fact that the society of human beings must be based on economy. Nobody cannot live without money and that is the basic of society.
"Miyazaki-beef" is so delicious and so expensive that I could not buy when I was in Japan...
*1:Of course, I fully understood that society of human being must cause unavoidable damage for environment.
