Despite efforts to reduce carbon emissions in their production processes, mining companies are struggling to achieve the climate targets set. A recent report from analytics firm dss+ highlights a worrying lag in the sector, while highlighting several obstacles to decarbonization. This delay could put mining companies 40% below the target needed to limit global warming to 1.5°C by 2030, according to the Paris Agreement.
The growing gap between objectives and results
The dss+ report, titled Decarbonising mining in an era of growing demand for critical metals and minerals, analyzed the progress made by 52 mining companies between 2018 and 2021. According to the results, the companies reduced their emissions at an average rate of 2 % per year, a rate well below the 4.5% needed to achieve the sector’s climate goals. Although this reduction rate remains in place today, it is insufficient to ensure compliance with the goals of the Paris Agreement, creating a worrying gap between stated ambitions and actual results.
The reasons for this delay: structural challenges and poor consideration of Scope 3 emissions
Several factors explain this delay. Among them, the decline in the quality of extracted ores, which forces operators to intensify their extraction efforts, thus increasing energy consumption, particularly for ventilation and cooling of deep mines. In addition, another major challenge lies in monitoring emissions, particularly those known as Scope 3. These emissions include those generated by transport or downstream processing of resources, and represent up to 60% of greenhouse gases. issued by the mining sector. However, these emissions are still largely ignored in companies’ decarbonization strategies.
Business leaders interviewed by dss+ also mention other major obstacles: fragmented decisions between different mining sites, insufficient monitoring of emissions, and public policies with few incentives to support investments in clean and sustainable technologies.
Alarming data on emissions from the mining sector
This report is not the only one to highlight the mining sector’s delay in decarbonization. Some companies themselves have published worrying figures on their emissions. Rio Tinto, for example, announced Scope 1 and 2 emissions of 32.6 megatonnes in 2023, compared to 32.7 megatonnes in 2022, showing stagnation in emissions reduction. BHP also recorded a slight increase in its emissions, from 9.1 megatonnes in 2023 to 9.2 megatonnes in 2024.
In addition, reports from organizations like the International Finance Corporation (IFC) highlight the impasse facing the mining industry: it must meet a growing demand for metals critical to the energy transition, notably copper and nickel. , while reducing its emissions. The IFC estimates that production of these metals will need to increase by 200-300% by 2050 to meet global climate goals, but this could double CO₂ emissions from their value chains.
Towards accelerated decarbonization: solutions for the mining sector
Faced with these challenges, solutions are beginning to emerge to accelerate the decarbonization of the sector and meet global climate requirements. Dss+ recommends greater transparency in reporting annual emissions, with a focus on Scope 3 emissions. The firm also proposes developing more structured decarbonization plans, improving energy supply and adoption of internal carbon pricing. The latter, according to dss+, would encourage companies to reduce their emissions by assigning a virtual cost to CO₂ emissions and optimizing financial decisions.
These recommendations join those of the IFC to reduce emissions from the copper and nickel sector by 90% by 2050, by transforming their value chains. Among the proposals are the adoption of renewable energy, electrification of equipment, process optimization to improve energy efficiency, and automation and digitalization to reduce inefficiencies. Proactive management of residual emissions, through carbon offsets and CO₂ capture technologies, is also essential, as is collaboration between businesses, governments and investors.
A key sector for the global energy transition, but too emitting
The mining sector remains one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world, accounting for between 4 and 7% of direct global CO₂ emissions. When Scope 3 emissions are included, this figure rises to 28% of global emissions, or 19,440 megatons of CO₂. Successful decarbonization of the mining sector will depend on the commitment of companies to overcome structural and financial obstacles and the involvement of policy makers to support the transition to a greener and more sustainable industry.
Moctar FICUU / VivAfrik
