Barrick likely to begin Pascua Lama gold mine under glacier

Here's an example of news that is extremely important yet doesn't get a lot of mainstream coverage.

Canadian company, Barrick Gold is about to begin digging for gold (and silver) high in the Atacama Mountains between Chile and Argentina underneath glaciers.
To get to the minerals, it would be necessary to break the glaciers - something never conceived of in the history of the world - and to make 2 huge holes, one for extraction and one for the mine's rubbish tip. If the glaciers are destroyed, they will not just destroy the source of specially pure water, but they will contaminate the 2 rivers running from glaciers (because of the use of cyanide and sulphuric acid in the extraction process).

The Guardian Unlimited:
The original plans of Canadian mining giant Barrick Gold included "relocating" three huge glaciers - a decision since blocked by Chile's environment authorities.
Farmers and local community members in the Huasco valley below fear that the massive open-pit gold mine, due to come on stream in 2009, will cause water shortages and contaminate their fields. Barrick maintains that the $1.4bn mine will operate in "full compliance with all environmental regulatory requirements". But the history of gold mining in Latin America does little to inspire the local community with confidence.