Climate still going Metal
News round-up of the mining behind renewable energy technologies
…And we’re back! I’ve now got more time to devote to Green Rocks, so expect some interviews and essays in the coming months. Mining in the context of climate crisis is making its way into laws and policies around the world. Publishing houses are printing books on these topics. Science is taking new turns. Stay tuned.
Top News in Mining for the Climate
Chile is a top copper and lithium producer, and the government just drafted a new constitution. On September 4, its citizens will vote on whether to replace a neoliberal, dictatorship-era constitution with one written by a democratically elected congress and president. It’s historic for a number of reasons, not least because it’s the first written in the context of global climate crisis. The expansion of Indigenous rights, a right to water, and the rights of nature will likely force wide-ranging changes across the mining sector.
The Washington Post calls it “woke”. The Wall Street Journal says it could “upend” the free market. Reuters centers fears that it will bring uncertainty for mining companies. The Economist tells Chile’s voters to reject it, implying it’s irrational and emotional. The Guardian reports that it brings “jubilation and hope.” Bloomberg cites polls showing voters may not approve it.
In the US, Biden is leveraging a 1940s-era act to send federal money to companies looking to open or expand mines. It will likely focus on minerals related to lithium-ion batteries, but doesn’t guarantee the minerals would be used for that purpose, as “national defense” is also touted as a goal. Critics have said that the industry doesn’t need subsidies because investors are already eager to support a production ramp-up, while some industry players said it was not enough. It also happens as Biden opens up more space for oil drilling.
General Mining News
An Ecuador court sided with a Canadian company exploring gold deposits outside the city of Cuenca. The company had bought the project after the city last year voted to ban large-scale mining that threatened local water sources.
A coalition of NGOs is pushing the European Commission to include stricter controls in its awaited new battery directive.
The USGS is collaborating with the Department of State, USAID ad UN to uncover illegal artisanal and small-scale mining operations.
A government report detailing “horrifying” treatment of women in Australia’s mining industry recommends that companies be held responsible if they do not create a harassment-free workplace.
The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre unveiled the 2021 update to their Transition Minerals tracker, which keeps eyes on companies producing six commodities touted in the energy transition.
Deep-sea mining
The French president urged countries not to pursue mining on the high seas in order to protect ecosystems. He was one of a number of people to call for a moratorium at the UN Ocean Conference.
The International Seabed Authority begins next week its council-wide meeting to gather input and lay out the path to establish a mining code for the high seas. The ISA has less than a year to determine the code before companies may begin applying to mine the ocean floor. NGOs say transparency will be minimal, as the ISA has restricted access to the meeting.
Deep-Sea Mines Can Send Noise up to 310 Miles Underwater (Mother Jones)
Copper
Zambia agreed to end legal action against a company that it had accused of avoiding paying taxes. The new president is keen to boost mining to offset debt.
A major mine in Peru restarted production after two months of protests from local communities. Locals have said that negotiations over pollution and the distribution of economic benefits have stalled during a truce that will end on Friday.
Workers went on strike in Chile after the closure of a smelter that had polluted surrounding areas.
A Glencore mine in Peru is allegedly contaminating local communities with toxic metals.
A Philippines court sided with plaintiffs who have been demanding for a quarter century that a copper miner pay damages for a tailings disaster that left toxic waste covering homes and farmland.
Nickel
The Philippines, a major nickel producer, left the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative over “biased” treatment. A civil society group said the move will weaken accountability.
All eyes on Tesla as it invests in a troubled nickel mine (Mongabay)
Nickel drama highlights Tsingshan’s role in energy transition (China Dialogue)
The Hidden Story of a Notorious Guatemalan Nickel Mine (The Intercept)
Lithium
Chilean experts were in the Dominican Republic last week helping the country identify its lithium reserves.
California approved a tax on the production of lithium, part of which will fund restoration of the Salton Sea.
Albemarle plans to build a large lithium processing plant in the southeastern US.
Cobalt
A DRC court appointed an administrator to run the second largest cobalt mine, while the country investigates billions of dollars in payments.
Cobalt Mining: Where Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Michael Bloomberg Are Spending Their Money (Vanity Fair)
How the world depends on small cobalt miners (The Economist)
Iron Ore
BHP is set to be tried in English courts over the Samarco tailings disaster in Brazil. The 200,000 plaintiffs claim BHP ignored signs that its tailings dam would burst, as it did in 2015, demolishing villages in the process.
A railroad operated by Vale in Brazil’s poorest state is allegedly leading to health problems in surrounding areas.
Survivors of the Brumadinho tailings disaster in 2019 are taking the fight for reparations to Germany.
Graphite
The US government is set to build up a graphite supply chain running through Louisiana that depends on materials from an area in Mozambique where a violent insurgency has led to humanitarian crisis.
Miscellaneous Rocks
Companies are allegedly mining in a Zimbabwe protested wilderness.
A zinc mine in Burkina Faso collapsed, trapping and killing eight workers.
Locals in Madagascar allege that elevated levels of uranium and lead are the result of a leak in a tailings dam owned by Rio Tinto.
Mining companies seem to be backing away from Indigenous areas in Brazil.
Reads
≠endorsement
Column: US forms ‘friendly’ coalition to secure critical minerals (Reuters)
Shifting Mining From the Global South Misses the Point of Climate Justice (Foreign Policy)
How the revolution in electric vehicles is changing mining (Financial Times)
When Does the Clean-Energy Infinity Loop Start? (The Atlantic)
Emissions from mining cause ‘up to £2.5tn’ in environmental damages each year (Carbon Brief)
There’s big money in recycling materials from solar panels (PV Magazine)
Bigger investment in mining needed to meet climate goals, says LGIM (Financial Times)
Mining is a polluting business. Can new tech make it cleaner? (National Geographic)
Also, feel free to check out my recent reporting related to Green Rocks:
Coal-powered industrial parks test Indonesia’s climate pledges – and China’s too (China Dialogue)
Electric Cars are Not the Solution to the Climate Crisis (Business Insider). You can get a free trial subscription, but let me know if you’d like the pdf.
New Climate Capitalism podcast interview with Thea Riofrancos: Mining for clean energy: fact, fiction and misinformation
I'm glad you're back. This is an invaluable compendium of information.