It is critical that we demand stronger environmental regulations to ensure that the mining of critical minerals has a minimal impact on the environment.
Like all mining, the mining of critical minerals (also called rare earth minerals) has an impact on the environment.
The reality is that without a substantial increase in critical minerals to supply parts to power renewable technologies, we will not be able to limit global temperature rises to less than 1.5C.
Action on climate change is critical to protect nature. Climate change is already one of the leading drivers of biodiversity loss and will only get worse unless we act now.
A renewables-based global energy system compatible with limiting the average global temperature rise to 1.5ºC will reduce damage to biodiversity by around 70 per cent globally, saving up to 700,000 species from potential extinction.
Another benefit of renewables is that the minerals can be reused and recycled whereas coal is mined to be burned once. Renewables, therefore, require substantially less mining overall.
A Fossil Fuel Economy requires 535x More Mining Than a Clean Energy Economy.
However, the increased demand for critical minerals needed to build renewable technologies like EVs and wind farms presents real threats to the natural world.
The most comprehensive analysis of these threats and potential abatement strategies was published in the journal, Science of the Total Environment, in 2022: Global environmental cost of using rare earth elements in green energy technologies - ScienceDirect.
Weak or non-existent environmental regulations for rare earth projects can produce wastewater and tailings ponds that leak acids, heavy metals and radioactive elements into groundwater. See, for example, Boom in Mining Rare Earths Poses Mounting Toxic Risks.
Sustainable and ethical sourcing practices, alongside improved recycling and circular economy practices, can significantly reduce the demand for critical minerals while protecting nature and labour rights throughout the supply chain.
Australia needs strong, enforceable supply chain regulations that:
- ensure renewable technologies are being sourced from environmentally and socially responsible sources,
- minimise the natural resource needs for renewables technologies,
- employ closed-loop systems,
- ensure that sourcing of minerals or materials for electric cars or batteries respects workers, communities and nature
However, better supply chain regulations and circular economy practises can only go so far.
We need to raise industry standards across the board and adopt stronger regulations that ensure mining is done in a more environmentally and socially responsible way.
In Australia, that at a minimum requires:
- protections against all mining in areas of high biodiversity or First Nations significance.
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stronger environmental regulations, in particular:
- Strengthening of the EPBC Act,
- Better protection of water resources,
- Ending the current ‘cash for destruction’ system of environmental offsetting,
- Greater penalties for environmental non-compliance on mining sites
- mandated site closure and end of life plans
In summary, Australia is well placed to become a leader in the sustainable mining of critical minerals to power renewables.