Responsible Raw Materials - Day 2 (PM)

Truly inspirational session as we continue Day 2 of the Responsible Raw Materials 2022 Conference on Mining: Unlocking a 'Just Transition', exploring various stakeholders' conception and expectations of a 'Just Transition' and 'bursting the mining bubble'. Throughout the talks and discussions, it was striking how vital yet difficult it is to hear and understand each other - and the incredible value of making that effort to enable the collaborative solutions development that Responsible Raw Materials aims to foster.

Building on the success of the inaugural "Burst the Bubble" session in 2021, this year we invited Veronique Mizgailo, Juan Pablo Astolfo and James Walde to share their views on mining and the 'Just Transition'. The twist: they have no professional connection to mining and are not sustainability experts, but generously agreed to add fresh perspectives to our discussions. From denouncing a "code of silence" around negative impacts of mining to questioning the validity of the criticality - responsibility equation, they raised many of the concerns which require transformational change of the mining industry to build social acceptance and also discussed wider transition issues. Ruth Allington wrapped up this fascinating discussion with a "what did we learn" reflection.

Cathryn MacCallum from Sazani referred to the "Do No Harm" principle to discuss how we can balance the needs - and rights - of people and nature with the necessity of mining and called for a radical rethink of how mining defines its purpose and profitability. This was echoed by Geertje Schuitema of University College Dublin who reminded us that the community perspective on 'Just Transition' is where 'justice' really lies - in all its variations, from distributive (allocating cost and benefits) to procedural (giving communities a voice) and restorative (ensuring rehabilitation), such justice can only emerge from a deep understanding of needs and expectations, referring to a case study that involves a just transition process taking place in the Irish Midlands, where the peat-based electricity industry was closed in 2020.

"The mining sector needs to become post-colonialist; they need to change how they listen, change how they learn; they need to learn to unlearn, unlearn to listen, unlearn to change"

Andy Whitmore of the London Mining Network referred to a joint statement from civil society prepared for COP26 to discuss how a just and rapid transition away from fossil fuels and towards a renewable energy system must be just and equitable and accompanied by a simultaneous transformation away from irresponsible mining, underlining the fundamental requirement of rethinking consumption to address global challenges relating to climate as well as other environmental emergencies. Elizabeth Freele of Sympact developed her vision for mining in the just transition, highlighting the requirement of a mindset shift in mining’s approach to the company-community relationship – including both ignored good practices and new innovations – to reposition mining communities as winners in the green transition whilst enabling the global transformation vital to addressing the climate emergency.

Before a passionate panel discussion, Alice England and Marc Bishop Lafleche of Anglo Pacific Group provided the perspective of investors and funders of the mining sector, seeking to foster ESG integration across their portfolio through sound investment decisions and engagement with operating companies.

It was a privilege to participate in these discussions - rarely does a forum allow such a diversity of perspectives to seek common ground, work across functional siloes and call out the limitations and ineffectiveness of bland statements in the face of urgent and dramatic requirements for impactful action. Many of these conversations are uncomfortable and require each of us to rethink our expertise, objectives and position. They have never been more vitally necessary.