A Comparative Evaluation of Degree of Sustainable Development of Mineral Resources for a Mining City

In the perspective of development and circle economy, availability of mineral resources in a long term depends not only on their currently available amounts but also on future potential mineral resources (e.g., those undiscovered and low-grade ores) and substitutive renewable resources. Accordingly, a new concept of degree of sustainable development of mineral resources (DSDMR) is proposed to describe the ability of sustainable development of mineral resources to contribute to the development of human society. Its conceptual model, index system and regional six-factor judgment model are developed in the viewpoints of system science and sustainable development. They are used to evaluate the DSDMR of fifty representative Chinese mining cities in a quantitative way and their developing trends are indicated in the aspects of the type of mineral industry, age, location and size of the mining cities. The results show that the DSDMR of these Chinese mining cities decreases firstly in the type of mineral industry from petroleum to multi-resources to metallurgy to coal; secondly in city age from middle to young to old ages; thirdly in city location in China from eastern to western to central; and finally in city size from small to large and the above to middle. The results are expected to form a basis for decision-making in the exploration and the sustainable development of a mining city for a nation.