Ashleigh Moritz a senior environmental scientist at SRK Consulting discusses the measures miners should take to mitigate the impact of climate change. Climate change has caused many pitfalls for the mining industry including water scarcity, flooding and deforestation amongst others.
She explains how future mines will be designed due to climate change and GHG emission challenges.
Q: In your opinion, how cognizant is the SA mining industry of climate-change risk?
A: Mining companies are generally highly aware of the climate-change risk and are putting in place policies and initiatives that go well beyond current regulations. These risks are being added to the considerable range of challenges that the mining sector regularly faces, and operations are constantly adapting.
We have also seen lenders - financial institutions and project funders — putting
forward their own requirements for their clients, to assure themselves that mines are taking the necessary steps to protect their investments from climate-change risk. The Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures was created to improve and increase reporting of climate-related risks, and the EU is looking at
making these recommendations compulsory.
The mining sector is building these requirements into its public reporting, and making sure it is ready to deal with these risks at an operational level — to protect its resources, assets and viability.
