Mined resources underpin modern society, and an expansion of extraction capacity is necessary to achieve the Paris Agreement goals. But the good practice that exists in the sector can also be undermined by a series of systemic social and environmental issues that challenge mining today and will challenge its future growth if not adequately addressed.

A key example of this is the increasing scramble by governments and companies to secure the supply chains of transition minerals required to deliver on their net zero commitments. The IEA predicts annual demand for transition minerals for renewable energy will triple from ~10 million metric tonnes today, to 30+ million tonnes by 2050 under net zero scenarios.

Even with significantly greater recycling, substitution of key minerals for other minerals and greater efficiency of mineral usage there is no path to net zero without very considerable expansion of mining.

This will not be an easy path but one that, if taken, will ensure mining operates within planetary boundaries, meets the needs of society and the low-carbon transition, and positively contributes to social development and the environment, today and tomorrow.