Climate adaptation in the Australian mining and exploration industries

Abstract

Climate change research and activities in the mining and exploration industry typically focus on what can be done to reduce mining’s impact on climate change. Such efforts are aimed at the ‘effect of mining on climate change’, rather than the ‘effect of climate change on mining’. Climatically imposed impacts and how the industry might adapt to reduce unwanted effects of climate change has had little attention but may be important and thus is the focus of this study. The effect of climate change on other primary industries such as fisheries, farming and forestry is already being investigated and climate impacts and adaptations identified. Like other primary industries, mining is situated ‘on the ground’ – it is geographically constrained and therefore vulnerable to changes in weather and climate patterns. There is a huge amount of evidence that the Australian and global climate is changing and that there is a clear human fingerprint in these changes resulting from human activities, such as the combustion of fossil fuels. Projections are that average temperatures in Australia will increase between 0.4 to 2.0°C by 2030, in addition to there being changes in rainfall patterns and the frequency and/or intensity of extreme weather events such as drought and severe storms. More substantial changes are projected out to 2050 and 2070. The projected climate changes may impact on a mine’s operational costs in terms of its ability to source staff, to ensure health and safety for workers within the mine site, to ensure that production can continue at projected rates and to maintain the industry’s strength into the future. Not all impacts will necessarily be negative; all potential impacts should be identified to assess whether the industry is generally ‘climate-change-proof’ and if it is not, ascertain what action is required to ensure that mining is sustainable under changed climatic conditions.