Northern Miner
VANCOUVER — On Dec. 6, The Northern Miner sat down for an interview with Tom Butler, CEO of the U.K.-based International Council of Mining and Metals (ICMM), to discuss climate change politics and other prominent themes for miners on the international stage in 2018.
Butler became CEO of ICMM in July 2015. Before that, he spent 18 years with the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation in its infrastructure and natural resource teams, with an emphasis on mining and power projects in Africa.
The Northern Miner: How is the mining industry is perceived globally today?
Tom Butler: There’s a trust gap, and the question is: How do we close it?
The mining industry isn’t doing well in many countries. You see that in the loss of social license where governments feel they have political room to take actions because the industry doesn’t have the support of local populations.
So there’s a lot of work to be done when it comes to communicating the positive impacts of mining and getting local populations behind that message. That’s especially true in developing countries where the industry can be a real agent of change when it comes to alleviating poverty and bringing resources into an economy.
At the same time, we hear a lot about climate change and the expectation that industry should do its part. I think the oil and gas industry has been hit harder by that message because there’s an awareness that mining is going to supply the raw materials needed to “decarbonize” the world.
For the rest of this article: http://www.northernminer.com/news/icmms-butler-climate-change-politics-industry-challenges/1003792197/