Although we use the results of mining daily – whether the lithium in computers and cell phones or even the nickel in electric vehicles – the question remains as to whether mining can be done responsibly, especially with its role in providing transition minerals to move to a low-carbon economy. As investors continue to engage mining companies on their human and environmental impacts, a new initiative is evaluating the key issues that the mining sector faces.
The Global Investor Commission on Mining 2030 is a collaborative investor-led initiative that recognizes the mining industry’s role in the transition to a low-carbon economy and the systemic issues that affect the community’s consent to allow the company to operate there. Investors are using this initiative to understand the evolving mining standards and how these standards impact communities and Earth. Mining 2030 will address the industry’s systemic impacts including:
- Automation and future work force
- Biodiversity, land and Protected Areas
- Child labor
- Climate change
- Conflict and reconciliation
- Historic legacy of mining and rehabilitation
- Indigenous community and First Nations rights
- Mine tailings waste and site closure
Mining 2030 will identify leading practices in how mining occurs, what standards will guide the industry, and expected disclosures of companies who mine. Along with lessening investments in mining companies, Mercy Investment Services will use the results of Mining 2030 in continued engagements with mining companies across the globe.