Climate change mitigation has traditionally focused on the reduction of greenhouse gases, an approach now considered insufficient in light of the inevitability of climate change. Mitigation approaches now include climate change adaptation: measures required to adjust to the changing climate to avoid significant risks. These risks may include increased or decreased rainfall and increased temperatures with resulting increased prevalence of hazards such as floods, drought, heat waves and fires, competition for resources, changes in disease vectors, greater demands on infrastructure, and associated social impacts.
The risks and associated impacts of climate change are far reaching and cross sector. The GISTM has included requirements for addressing climate change risks as they apply to tailings. The requirements address five topics (I-V) as shown in Table 1 and include three main responses: 1) climate change risk identification, 2) modelling of climatic changes, and 3) monitoring and adaptation. The first two relate to planning and operation requirements for monitoring and adaptation will extend throughout the life of the tailings storage facility (TSF), from operations through to closure and post-closure.
The sixth assessment report released by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides global models that can inform the identification of risks. The GISTM, however, requires site-specific modelling to inform TSF design. It is further recommends that site specific models be used to inform water balance, assessment of impacts and enhancement of resilience.
Best practice guidelines inform this approach as the GISTM provides principles and requirements but does not prescribe how to achieve these goals. Because these models have limitations, monitoring and ongoing adaptation are essential to ensure that risks are addressed. It is critical that monitored information is analysed to ensure trends are highlighted to inform required adaptation. The table illustrates how this will be implemented through the requirements of the GISTM.
