Mining for Emissions Reductions: Strike while the Earth Is Cool

This briefing by RMI discusses the dual role of the mining industry in the energy transition, highlighting its necessity in providing raw materials for low-carbon technologies while facing significant pressure to decarbonize its own operations to align with the Paris Agreement.

• The energy transition relies on the mining industry to provide critical raw materials for technologies such as electric vehicles, batteries, and solar photovoltaics. Specifically, the low-carbon transition will likely require metals including copper, silver, aluminum (bauxite), nickel, zinc, neodymium, and indium.
• Mining companies, especially those extracting coal, are significant contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions. A CDP report from 2015 indicated that 50 'carbon majors' in heavy fossil fuel industries were responsible for half of worldwide industrial greenhouse gas emissions; mining companies held two of the top five spots and 20 spots overall, including three members of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM).
• To achieve emissions reductions, mining companies can employ several operational strategies: integrating renewables into electricity supplies, improving mining processes, transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable fuels, reducing waste, and optimizing transportation.
• Mining firms face both physical risks, such as stressed water resources and damaged supply chains from natural disasters, and financial risks, including carbon pricing and shifting demand for products. While some companies like Barrick Gold, BHP, Glencore, and Vale have signed on to the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations, no mining company has yet achieved an approved target from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

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} }