Conferences

How will climate change affect mining? – Professor Ian Lowe

Emeritus Professor Ian Lowe AO op ed

The potential impacts of climate change are not well known or understood by the mining industry, despite them being clearly identified in the sixth volume of the IPCC report released in 2021-23.

Addressing impacts of climate change is a global problem. Industries that operate globally must be part of the solution by actively developing responses that can be both adapted and adopted across their locations.

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“It’s about time you got here!” – Tuesday’s Speeches at the World Mining Congress

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Transformation in Mining – Sinead Kaufman, Chief Executive, Minerals, Rio Tinto

Speech to the 26th World Mining Congress Brisbane, 28 June 2023


Slide 1: Heading slide

Thank-you Jillian, it is great to be able to talk to you this morning from my hometown here in Brisbane.

 I would like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners on both sides of the river – the Jagera and Turrubal peoples, and also extend that respect to all other First Nations people in the audience today – welcome to Brisbane!

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Larry Marshall, CSIRO, Opening Remarks, World Mining Congress 2023

Thanks Jillian for that kind introduction.  

I would like to begin by acknowledging the Jagera people and the Turrbal people as the traditional owners of the land we are on today and pay my respects to their elders past and present. Caring for our lands and our people is the most important job we do. 

As Dr Guo said this is the first time Australia has hosted the conference in its 65-year history, and I am very pleased that, after a disrupted couple of years with the pandemic, we are finally all together.  

CSIRO has worked with the mining industry for over a century, and as one of the largest minerals research and development groups in the world, we have a strong track record delivering innovative solutions across the value chain. 

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Big names in mining team up to demonstrate remote semi-autonomous dozer technology

Big names in mining team up to demonstrate remote semi-autonomous dozer tech

Thiess, Caterpillar and Hastings Deering deliver off-site remote operation of Cat® MineStarTM Command for dozing live at the World Mining Congress in Brisbane (27–29 June 2023).

Global mining services provider Thiess has teamed up with original equipment manufacturer Caterpillar and local Cat dealer Hasting Deering to demonstrate Thiess’ semi-autonomous dozing operation using a remote operating station (ROS) located over 850km away from the site.

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Rushing to extract critical minerals could compromise sustainable development

The urgency to provide metals for the energy transition is putting pressure on the legal safeguards and approval processes governing mining, according to University of Queensland (UQ) researchers, and the consequences could compromise sustainable development.

In a report commissioned by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and produced by UQ’s Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI), researchers examined over 60 countries to identify the risks associated with governance of mining and mineral value chains in the energy transition.

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New planning tool offers miners in dry regions a shared water supply solution

The financial, environmental and social feasibility of mining in some of the world’s driest regions could be unlocked through shared water supply networks according to a new project led by The University of Queensland’s (UQ) Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI).

Dr Liliana Pagliero, who will present the findings and details of the tool at the World Mining Congress in Brisbane later this month, said the project demonstrates the benefits of moving beyond an ‘everyone for themselves’ approach to development in the mining industry.

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More storms, fires, and floods

How will more extreme weather events affect mining operations?

ESG Session/Climate change and Mining – 11 am Wed 28 June

One of the unknowns for the mining sector globally is how climate change will affect day to day operations.

“I think most mining companies are totally unaware of this issue,” says leading Australian academic and author, Professor Ian Lowe.

This session discusses global climate change issues that directly impact the more resilient supply of critical minerals and materials for the manufacture of equipment and technologies to deliver net-zero emissions. We’ll hear from experts from Mongolia, Chile, and Austria.

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