CURRENT STATUS OF MINE CLOSURE READINESS: ARE GOVERNMENTS PREPARED?

The document evaluates global government preparedness for mine closure, finding significant gaps in policy, financial assurance, and community engagement regardless of a country's development level. It highlights that while most jurisdictions require closure plans, the quality of these plans and the capacity of regulators to review them are often insufficient. Key risks include a lack of full financial assurance for closure costs and a widespread absence of records for closed or abandoned mines. The briefing argues that capacity and experience are the primary barriers to readiness and recommends that governments adopt international standards, engage communities throughout the mine life cycle, and build internal technical expertise.

• While 76% of surveyed jurisdictions legally require mine closure plans, the actual quality and scrutiny of these plans are highly inconsistent. Many countries accept high-level plans lacking detail, which are then reviewed by staff who lack the necessary experience and resources to evaluate them effectively.
• Financial assurance coverage is inadequate in a majority of jurisdictions; only 45% require the full estimated closure cost to be secured. This creates significant financial and environmental risks for governments if mine operators default.
• Community involvement in mine closure and post-mining transition planning is inconsistent, with 37% of jurisdictions reporting no community involvement at all. There is a noted lack of correlation between a country's Human Development Index (HDI) and its level of community engagement or financial assurance policies.
• There is a critical lack of data regarding past mine closures, with 75% of jurisdictions lacking adequate records of mines that have closed and surrendered leases. This gap prevents governments and industry from learning from previous closure processes and regulatory failures.
• The most significant barrier to mine-closure readiness is a lack of government capacity and experience, characterized by insufficient human and financial resources and poor integration between departments responsible for closure and environmental management.
• Processes for the final relinquishment of mine sites are often unclear, even in leading jurisdictions like Australia and Canada. Only 38% of countries have legislation addressing residual long-term risks or financial assurance that covers such risks.

APA

Stevens, R. (2021). CURRENT STATUS OF MINE CLOSURE READINESS: ARE GOVERNMENTS PREPARED? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-08/status-mine-closure-readiness-en.pdf

Chicago

Stevens, Rob. CURRENT STATUS OF MINE CLOSURE READINESS: ARE GOVERNMENTS PREPARED? International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-08/status-mine-closure-readiness-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Stevens |first1=Rob |title=CURRENT STATUS OF MINE CLOSURE READINESS: ARE GOVERNMENTS PREPARED? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=August 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-08/status-mine-closure-readiness-en.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stevens2021current, author = {Stevens, Rob}, title = {{CURRENT STATUS OF MINE CLOSURE READINESS: ARE GOVERNMENTS PREPARED?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = aug, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-08/status-mine-closure-readiness-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }