INSIGHT •
ACHIEVING ‘ NET ZERO ’ IN MINING : CHALLENGES , OPPORTUNITIES AND ACTION
Sandrine Pfister - Sustainability Market Leader , Bureau Veritas Africa envisions the year 2050 .
In the year 2050 – the world has successfully reduced carbon emissions with the contribution of the efforts of mining and metal industry players who achieved their targets in greenhouse gas ( GHG ) reduction . Through project-specific approaches , these companies assessed their carbon footprints , identified emissions hotspots , developed tangible net-zero roadmaps and invested in low-carbon technologies leading to improved energy efficiency , the use of greener energy sources that reduced reliance on fossil fuels , reduction of fugitive emissions and consideration of carbon offsetting initiatives for the residual emissions difficult to eliminate . This monumental achievement has also allowed the world to meet the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5 ° C .
Numerous challenges , however , lie ahead in realising this vision .
Climate change is the primary challenge of our era , with various stakeholders demanding an accelerated energy transition and assessment of the climate change transition risks for companies ’ activities . Carbon-intensive industries including mining and metals , are adopting ambitious net-zero targets to drive reduced emissions and greener , more sustainable operations . Achieving net zero requires comprehensive efforts to measure and reduce emissions across all three emission scope categories defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol . For the mining industry and its supply chain , this poses significant challenges .
Today , up to 7 % of GHG emissions globally emanate from mining activities worldwide , while 28 % of Scope 3 GHG emissions are from downstream and 0.5 % from fully electric mining equipment . The World Meteorological Organization predicts a 66 % likelihood that the annual average near-surface global temperature between 2023 and 2027 will be more than 1.5 ° C above pre-industrial levels for at least one year . In addition , there is a 98 % likelihood that at least one of the next five years , and the five-year period as a whole , will be the warmest on record . Global warming increases operational and financial risks for mining companies such as drought altering the supply of water to mining sites , increased rising of the sea-level which could impact transportation infrastructures , extreme heat weather causing a threat to workers ’ health – possibly their lives – and productivity .
While the challenges are daunting , at Bureau Veritas , we also know that there are opportunities to explore . This is why platforms like
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