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There is more to accelerated mining than merely weaker regulation, report finds
Episode 56
Published 4 weeks, 2 days ago
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This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation.
Donor network and platform Trust, Accountability and Inclusion Collaborative (TAI) has published a report that challenges the assumption that deregulation will accelerate critical minerals development.
As governments race to secure the minerals needed for renewable energy, electric vehicles and other emerging technologies, TAI is of the view that procedural fairness, effective regulation, environmental stewardship and meaningful community participation are among the most important drivers of public trust in mining.
That trust, the report concludes, is essential to preventing the conflicts, legal challenges and regulatory disputes that can delay projects for years and cost companies hundreds of millions of dollars.
"The critical minerals debate has become trapped in an adversarial loop," says TAI independent consultant Sefton Darby, adding that governments and industry often treat community engagement and regulation as obstacles to speed, while communities are expected to accept greater risks in the name of the energy transition.
"But when people have a meaningful voice, confidence in oversight and assurance that environmental and social concerns will be addressed, problems can be identified earlier and resolved before they escalate into opposition, litigation and costly delays."
TAI's 'Mined the Gaps: Trust and Critical Minerals' report also calls for greater precision about which minerals are genuinely necessary for the energy transition.
The report finds that about 60% of the minerals included on major critical minerals lists in the EU, US and Australia have no direct energy-transition use case.
Some are classified as critical because of their importance to defence, domestic industry or geopolitical competition, particularly concerns about China's dominant role in mineral processing and refining.
Combining these different priorities under the broad banner of "critical minerals," the report warns, can result in environmental, development and philanthropic initiatives inadvertently supporting defense or trade agendas rather than the transition to clean energy.
Among the report's key findings, survey research from Australia, Canada and mining communities around the world consistently identifies procedural fairness, confidence in oversight and effective environmental management as leading drivers of public acceptance.
The report also challenges the heavy policy emphasis on developing new "greenfield" mines. In the near term, much of the growth in mineral supply is expected to come from expansions of existing "brownfield" operations, where longstanding patterns of community engagement, environmental impact and benefit distribution may already be difficult to change.
For new projects, TAI explains, many of the most serious risks emerge long before a company applies for a mining permit.
"Exploration is often led by small, undercapitalized junior mining companies focused primarily on identifying geological resources, with limited funding, incentives or regulatory obligations to address environmental and social concerns. By the time a larger company takes over, those problems may already be deeply embedded," TAI states.
The report also cautions against treating financial benefits as a substitute for trust. It says communities care about receiving a fair share of a project's benefits, but the research suggests that having a meaningful voice, confidence in regulation and assurance that environmental impacts will be addressed often matter more.
"Meeting the world's clean energy needs will require more than increasing the supply of minerals. It will require changing the way governments, companies and funders work with the people who live alongside
Donor network and platform Trust, Accountability and Inclusion Collaborative (TAI) has published a report that challenges the assumption that deregulation will accelerate critical minerals development.
As governments race to secure the minerals needed for renewable energy, electric vehicles and other emerging technologies, TAI is of the view that procedural fairness, effective regulation, environmental stewardship and meaningful community participation are among the most important drivers of public trust in mining.
That trust, the report concludes, is essential to preventing the conflicts, legal challenges and regulatory disputes that can delay projects for years and cost companies hundreds of millions of dollars.
"The critical minerals debate has become trapped in an adversarial loop," says TAI independent consultant Sefton Darby, adding that governments and industry often treat community engagement and regulation as obstacles to speed, while communities are expected to accept greater risks in the name of the energy transition.
"But when people have a meaningful voice, confidence in oversight and assurance that environmental and social concerns will be addressed, problems can be identified earlier and resolved before they escalate into opposition, litigation and costly delays."
TAI's 'Mined the Gaps: Trust and Critical Minerals' report also calls for greater precision about which minerals are genuinely necessary for the energy transition.
The report finds that about 60% of the minerals included on major critical minerals lists in the EU, US and Australia have no direct energy-transition use case.
Some are classified as critical because of their importance to defence, domestic industry or geopolitical competition, particularly concerns about China's dominant role in mineral processing and refining.
Combining these different priorities under the broad banner of "critical minerals," the report warns, can result in environmental, development and philanthropic initiatives inadvertently supporting defense or trade agendas rather than the transition to clean energy.
Among the report's key findings, survey research from Australia, Canada and mining communities around the world consistently identifies procedural fairness, confidence in oversight and effective environmental management as leading drivers of public acceptance.
The report also challenges the heavy policy emphasis on developing new "greenfield" mines. In the near term, much of the growth in mineral supply is expected to come from expansions of existing "brownfield" operations, where longstanding patterns of community engagement, environmental impact and benefit distribution may already be difficult to change.
For new projects, TAI explains, many of the most serious risks emerge long before a company applies for a mining permit.
"Exploration is often led by small, undercapitalized junior mining companies focused primarily on identifying geological resources, with limited funding, incentives or regulatory obligations to address environmental and social concerns. By the time a larger company takes over, those problems may already be deeply embedded," TAI states.
The report also cautions against treating financial benefits as a substitute for trust. It says communities care about receiving a fair share of a project's benefits, but the research suggests that having a meaningful voice, confidence in regulation and assurance that environmental impacts will be addressed often matter more.
"Meeting the world's clean energy needs will require more than increasing the supply of minerals. It will require changing the way governments, companies and funders work with the people who live alongside