A report by the World Gold Council (WGC) into climate change and gold finds that the gold sector will likely require more consistent and systematic planning and wider collaboration, including closer engagement on climate-related risks with local communities, to deal with climate change risks.
The WGC’s analysis – in its ‘Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Strategies for the Gold Mining Industry’ report, issued this month – reveals that the gold mining industry has demonstrated an awareness of many climate-related physical risks to its business and operations and has implemented measures to build greater resilience against specific hazards.
Because gold mines are often located in remote and diverse geographic locations, oftentimes playing a strategic and pivotal role in local economies, many communities may be indirectly dependent on a robust and stable gold mining industry for the provision of key capacities, infrastructure and growth and development opportunities, the WGC states.
By creating sustainable mining operations in the face of climate hazards, the council says, the industry can enable greater resilience at the mine site and beyond, potentially reducing the negative economic and social implications for all stakeholders.
However, without consistent, systematic and widespread planning, the increased complexity, frequency and severity of climate impacts will have a negative impact on the supply chain.
If the gold sector heeds the WGC’s steps and builds on the substantial foundations identified in its report, it says the gold mining sector should be able to extend its capacity for greater future climate resilience.
WGC climate change lead John Mulligan says, however, that these steps will need to accelerate as a collective understanding of climate impacts continues to develop at a rapid rate.
“Our findings emphasise the opportunity for the sector to share knowledge, identify convergent and consistent methodologies, and define innovative adaptive solutions. Building on the substantial foundations identified in the report, the gold mining sector is ready to extend its capacity for greater future climate resilience,” he adds.
Climate change risks are typically categorised into two types: physical risks and transitional risks. Physical risks – potential physical impacts from climate variations – are considered either as acute (incident- or event-driven) or chronic (long-term shifts).
Acute physical climate impacts are typically witnessed in the form of extreme weather and weather-related events, such as tropical storms, wildfires, droughts and flooding; whereas chronic impacts refer to enduring changes and shifts in, for example, average air or land temperatures, sea levels, water acidification and soil quality.
However, the WGC acknowledges the likely significance of the combinational, compounding effects of both types of risk, amplifying the threat to mining infrastructure processes and local communities.
Key vulnerabilities faced by the gold sector as climate change takes hold include water management; ground stability; landslides or dam failures; mobility, transportation and access to sites; disruption to energy infrastructure and supply; worker health and safety; efficiency and performance of mining equipment; closure and post-closure of mine sites; and biodiversity restoration and protection.
In addition, mine risk assessments identified several potential vulnerabilities in the adaptive capacity of local communities that might adversely, but indirectly, impact mine site resilience.
To address the situation and help gold sector role-players adapt, the WGC recommends gold miners undertake seven measures, the first being to strive for greater sectoral consistency and knowledge sharing in defining methodologies for assessing climate vulnerability and adaptation.
The WGC also advises gold miners to balance consideration of acute risk with a longer-term view on chronic risks, incorporate an acknowledgement and understanding of combined compound risks, integrate community risks into local vulnerability appraisals and resilience plans and use local and indigenous knowledge of climate change and weather impacts to inform their climate risk assessment process.
In addition, the WGC recommends the sharing of knowledge and resources with local communities, and adopting a multi-stakeholder approach to adaptation planning and designing for climate change resilience, as well as planning for innovation and the use of data and technology to produce a more dynamic approach to managing climate-related vulnerabilities and potential physical hazards.
Extended plans to address climate change vulnerabilities include meteorological forecasting to prepare for acute weather impacts, long-term environmental monitoring to inform adaptation plans and impact responses and the development of additional emergency response procedures.
These plans also include implementation of management procedures for further inspection and maintenance of mining assets.
Infrastructure design measures for greater climate change resilience include designing resilience to extreme weather events through the re-engineering of tailings, transport infrastructure, water systems and power systems.
These also include increasing the capacity of operational infrastructure such as pumps and power solutions, and building emergency health and safety accommodation.