COLUMN-Australia’s mining lobby takes a baby step on climate change – by Clyde Russell (Reuters U.S. – June 22, 2020)

https://www.reuters.com/

LAUNCESTON, Australia, June 23 (Reuters) – Australia’s mining lobby group, the Minerals Council of Australia, long derided by environmentalists as coal-loving dinosaurs, has launched a climate action plan that is probably significant for what it doesn’t say than what it does.

On the surface the council’s report looks reasonable, committing to an ambition of net zero emissions and outlining a series of actions aimed at achieving the goal.

But the document, released on Monday, is short on specifics, with many of the action points and activities couched in vague language that is open to interpretation. An example is the activity point on “supporting adaptation”.

“Understand the types of adaptation investments needed in the minerals sector, especially in regard to operations, employee health, supply chains, water use, energy resources and local communities, to help minimise the adverse impacts of a changing climate,” the report said.

The paragraph is a smorgasbord of ideas and words, but leaves the reader wondering what exactly the group is proposing and what would “adaptation investments” actually look like.

For the rest of this column: https://www.reuters.com/article/column-russell-mining-climatechange/column-australias-mining-lobby-takes-a-baby-step-on-climate-change-russell-idUSL4N2E00U0