LAUSR

Abstract Gold production has significant environmental impacts on ecosystem and human health. China, as the largest gold production country in the world, deserves a special attention. This study assesses the environmental impacts of gold production in China by using life cycle assessment. Key factors contributing to the total environmental burden of gold production were also identified. In addition, uncertainty analysis based on Monte Carlo was conducted to improve the reliability of results obtained in this study. Results show that impact from metal depletion category mainly from gold ore mining was the most contributor to the total environmental impact. Meanwhile, impacts from climate change, terrestrial acidification, human toxicity, particulate matter formation, marine ecotoxicity, and fossil depletion also made contributions. The overall environmental impact was dominated by key factors such as ore mining, energy consumption, and on-site emissions. Policy suggestions (e.g., maximizing resource efficiency, adjusting energy structure, promoting gold recycling, implementing ecological compensation) were proposed to promote the sustainable development of gold production.