Mining for Emissions Reductions: Strike while the Earth Is Cool

The briefing highlights the dual role of the mining industry in the energy transition, noting its necessity in providing raw materials for low-carbon technologies while remaining a significant source of global emissions. It advocates for the adoption of science-based targets, the use of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework, and the cocreation of a comprehensive decarbonization pathway to mitigate physical and financial climate risks.

• Mining companies are essential for the energy transition as they provide raw materials for industries such as electric vehicles, batteries, and solar photovoltaics, specifically requiring metals like copper, silver, aluminum (bauxite), nickel, zinc, neodymium, and indium.
• The mining industry is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions; a CDP report from 2015 found that mining companies, especially those in coal extraction, held 20 of the top 50 spots for companies responsible for half of worldwide industrial emissions (scope 1 and 3).
• Mining firms face physical risks from climate change, such as stressed water resources and damaged supply chains due to extreme natural disasters, as well as financial risks including carbon pricing and shifting product demand.
• Despite the availability of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to help businesses align with the goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, no mining company has yet achieved an SBTi-approved target, likely due to difficulties with scope 3 emissions and target-setting methodologies.
• Several mining companies, including ICMM members Barrick Gold, BHP, Glencore, and Vale, have signed on to the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations for voluntary climate-related financial risk disclosure.

APA

RMI (2018). Mining for Emissions Reductions: Strike while the Earth Is Cool. https://rmi.org/resources/mining-for-emissions-reductions-strike-while-the-earth-is-cool/

Chicago

RMI. Mining for Emissions Reductions: Strike while the Earth Is Cool. 2018. https://rmi.org/resources/mining-for-emissions-reductions-strike-while-the-earth-is-cool/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Mining for Emissions Reductions: Strike while the Earth Is Cool |date=20 August 2018 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/mining-for-emissions-reductions-strike-while-the-earth-is-cool/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2018mining, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Mining for Emissions Reductions: Strike while the Earth Is Cool}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2018}, month = aug, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/mining-for-emissions-reductions-strike-while-the-earth-is-cool/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }