Rio Tinto has used a global mining convention to spruik its local weather and cultural credentials, pledging to drive change at each stage of its business.
Geologist Sinead Kaufman, Rio’s chief govt of minerals, stated she appreciates “many are sceptical about the ability of the mining industry to deliver on the climate front, beyond issuing ambitious and long-dated targets.”
“That is why we are sharing a clear pathway to material reductions by the end of the decade,” she informed the World Mining Congress on Wednesday.
“We need to meet societal expectations and partner with others to mine sustainably.”
Rio Tinto blew up the 46,000-year-old Juukan caves in 2020, devastating West Australian custodians and inflicting world outrage.
It had authorized permission to destroy the sacred website however later conceded it breached the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura peoples’ belief in doing so.
More than 3500 delegates from 70 international locations have gathered in Brisbane to deal with challenges for mining within the coming a long time, and benefit from the newest devices and gizmos within the huge exhibition corridor.
CSIRO has its search and rescue robots – together with Chilli, named after the mum of Bluey and Bingo, which is supplied with eight cameras and pincers.
Designed for complicated search and rescue missions in onerous to achieve corners underground, they preserve mining employees out of hurt’s manner.
Nearby is a huge Sandvik electro-hydraulic prime hammer lengthy gap drill, which additionally is available in an electrical model for the climate-savvy operator.
Thiess and Caterpillar have a dwell demonstration with two operators available to drive semi-autonomous dozers on a mine website greater than 800km away.
At Gudai-Darri, Rio’s latest iron ore mine within the Pilbara, the corporate is working with Caterpillar to develop a brand new fleet of autonomous, zero-emissions haul vans.
“Gudai-Darri could be the first mine in the world to use them,” Ms Kaufman stated.
Ms Kaufman has not too long ago been in Victoria the place Rio is establishing a laboratory to check how their minerals will carry out in electrical automobile batteries.
Long-term electrical automobile and lithium demand forecasts proceed to be revised upwards as governments and corporations ramp up efforts to restrict world warming.
The lithium market is predicted to develop five-fold between now and 2030, with a big supply-demand deficit anticipated from the second half of this decade.
This means extra battery supplies, and extra mines, are wanted.
Ms Kaufman stated the battery lab, set to function from November, is a important assist for Rio’s battery supplies business that was established in 2021 with a watch on commodities wanted for the drive to web zero.
The firm can also be implementing all of the suggestions of the Everyday Respect report that highlighted deeply disturbing incidents of bullying, sexual harassment, racism, and different types of discrimination inside the firm.
She stated the alarming outcomes “did not reflect the Rio Tinto we want to be”.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
