El Salvador is not the world. They chose an extreme solution to try to ameliorate an immediate problem. Is it globally optimal? No. Does it need to be? No. P.S

El Salvador is not the world. They chose an extreme solution to try to ameliorate an immediate problem. Is it globally optimal? No. Does it need to be? No. P.S. nobody seemed to give a shit for the years that mining interests have been poisoning local populations for profit across the globe. One side effect of this extreme measure will be more publicity for the issue of dirty mining in the developing world. And consequently perhaps a move toward mining companies being better actors due to increased pressure from governments and to avoid bad PR. And if that happens then El Salvador would be able to see it, begin to trust mining companies again, and maybe allow them back in. Until that happens though there's little advantage to them of continuing the status quo.