The talk about net zero mining is everywhere these days, from individual company statements to industry wide roadmaps and government targets, but how realistic is it? Are miners still committed to getting there?
Well I was pleased to see a new global survey saying they are. The Global Leadership Survey 2024 by Mining Journal Intelligence showed four-fifths—78.9%—of industry professionals believe mining should be helping in some form to cut global carbon emissions.
The degree of commitment did vary a bit though. More than a third of respondents said mining should lead the way toward net zero and with another 45.7% saying the industry should play a part. A smaller group—about one in six—said net zero was a distraction for mining and that the industry should focus on other priorities.
It’s encouraging to see that these rates tend to mirror community attitudes overall. For example, the Pew Research Centre’s annual Global Attitudes Survey of 16 countries showed 54% of people in 2014 considered climate change a “major threat”, a figure that jumped to 71% by 2022.
Getting a majority of people on the same page at the same time on any issue ain’t easy. A decade ago the idea of net zero mining seemed like a pipe dream, but now most large mining companies have committed to net zero emissions by 2050, and most have also set interim targets, many of around a 30% cut by 2030.
Net zero mining is also incredibly complex. I know that more than anyone else given we’ve completed 5 roadmaps over 4 years on how the copper industry can tackle such tough issues as discovery, ventilation, emissions or processing. It’s not just the technologies either, but the whole life of a mine from management to research, operations, innovation and costs, to name a few.
The world clearly needs mining to decarbonise and electrify, and copper more than most. Mining is also an economic powerhouse that now accounts for 75% of Australia’s exports, employs about 1.2M people, and adds over $40B per year to the bottom line.
But mining won’t greener on its own. As our series of roadmaps made crystal clear, partnership and collaboration in the very widest sense is the true message of net zero, now and in the future.
We think that’ll get a lot easier once we launch the CopperConnect digital knowledge platform, an industry-wide collaboration to unlock innovation and advance responsible practices in the mining industry, with the inclusion of the public and community sectors.
This will be released at IMARC at the ICC Sydney on Tuesday 29th October at 5.30pm: Visit imarcglobal.com/register and register for a Delegate Pass.
Cheers,John Fennell