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As the rate of opening new mining sites slows, mining companies worldwide are expanding existing mines - known as brownfield mining - to meet the ever-increasing demand for minerals to build clean energy infrastructure. But new Australian-led research has found that expanding mines can worsen environmental and social risks, and these operations tend to draw less scrutiny and regulation than new projects. The team used data on global mining and finance to show how investment has been increasingly flowing to brownfield mining rather than developing new mines. They then delved deeper for 366 brownfield mining sites, using satellite imagery and other data that track social and environmental conditions worldwide. They found more than one-fifth of the sites are within 50km of ecologically pristine or partially modified areas, while more than half are within 20km of biodiversity hotspots or protected areas. Nearly 80% of the mines they investigated are in locations facing multiple high-risk conditions, including water scarcity, weak governance, and limited press freedom. If larger, deeper, and longer-life mines are needed to meet demand, mine expansion should be thoroughly assessed for cumulative and long-term effects, rather than treating expansion as a routine decision, the authors conclude.