On February 21, 2018, the Social License to Operate Symposium (for mining/recycling of metals) was organised in Leuven in the context of the Artefact Festival “This Rare Earth: Stories from Below”.
The moderator of the day, Dirk Draulans (a renowned science journalist), produced a three-page article for Knack, Flanders’ leading political (weekly) magazine.
The article reflects on the paradox that many environmentalists strive for the transition to a low-carbon, circular economy, but at the same time often block that transition using NIMBY arguments.
The article reflects on specific cases like the Closing-the-Circle Enhanced Landfill Mining project in Houthalen-Helchteren and the rare earth mining project in the South of Sweden.

A must read to be found here (in Dutch however)!