The resources needed to decarbonise the world economy lie buried beneath the Earth. There is no alternative to digging them out if the energy transition is to take place. Without mining, there will be no silicon for solar panels, no steel for wind turbines, no lithium, cobalt or nickel for electric vehicles.
However mining itself accounts for 4-7% of global emissions. While an estimated 75-85% of the sector’s emissions come from methane released from coal mines, this problem is expected to abate over the next 25 years as the world gets on course for net-zero.