There’s no universal, one size fits all target when it comes to mining & Net Zero, but globally the goal is 2050 according to the Paris Agreement.
But it’s a moving feast by country or company, with a wide variety of decarbonisation ambitions and with some preferring not to commit to firm dates at all. That’s definitely understandable given the broad regulatory landscape out there as well as differences in resources, skills and shareholder concerns.
But after years of green pledges by governments and corporations is the commitment weakening? Certainly there are signs it may. The USA has now pulled out of the Paris Accord—and is sending out anti environmental messages—Indonesia is threatening to leave it too and many countries are struggling to hit their climate commitments.
The mining industry has by & large been a reliable climate partner. Many mining companies have also set interim targets for earlier dates than 2050. But none of that comes easy of course, involving not only huge technological innovation but massive capital investment.
The copper industry here knows that only too well. Starting in 2020 we & our industry partners began a Net Zero journey that would ultimately see us deliver 5 road maps on crucial parts of the whole mining process. This was ground breaking, not only for Australia, but the world and other organisations in the USA & Europe soon followed our lead.
Our reports probably weren’t easy reading. They made it clear that if the copper industry—and by extension mining in general—had any hope of hitting Net Zero by 2050 it could no longer be business as usual. New forms of collaboration right across the industry and government, a commitment to technological innovation, company reorganisation and, yes, a lot more spending would all be needed.
All that information will soon be much easier to find, follow up and share too once our online Collaborative Impact Platform “CopperOre” is up and running. The site uses generative AI so its easy for miners to identify the latest technological trends to help underpin their drive to greater operational efficiency and lower emissions.
It can’t come soon enough. Net Zero has always been a global challenge—and particularly for mining—but it now faces some new headwinds. We know what we need to do & we’ll soon have new tools to help us get there, and I can only hope our commitment to clean, green, smart mining doesn’t take a wrong turn.
Cheers, John Fennell
