Inter-American Development Bank
facebook
twitter
youtube
linkedin
instagram
Abierto al públicoBeyond BordersCaribbean Development TrendsCiudades SosteniblesEnergía para el FuturoEnfoque EducaciónFactor TrabajoGente SaludableGestión fiscalGobernarteIdeas MatterIdeas que CuentanIdeaçãoImpactoIndustrias CreativasLa Maleta AbiertaMoviliblogMás Allá de las FronterasNegocios SosteniblesPrimeros PasosPuntos sobre la iSeguridad CiudadanaSostenibilidadVolvamos a la fuente¿Y si hablamos de igualdad?Home
Citizen Security and Justice Creative Industries Development Effectiveness Early Childhood Development Education Energy Envirnment. Climate Change and Safeguards Fiscal policy and management Gender and Diversity Health Labor and pensions Open Knowledge Public management Science, Technology and Innovation  Trade and Regional Integration Urban Development and Housing Water and Sanitation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Energía para el Futuro

  • HOME
  • CATEGORIES
    • Energy Access
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Energy Integration
    • Gender and Energy
    • Renewable Energy
  • authors
  • English
    • Spanish

Latin America and the Caribbean’s mining sector is key to fighting climate change

May 30, 2019 por Estefanía Marchan Leave a Comment


The mining industry is not beloved in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC). This can be for good reason: we have learned of tailings disasters that have killed hundreds; projects that have generated riches that never reached communities; and corruption scandals that have permeated all levels of government, just to name a few.

Importantly too, we are increasingly aware that climate change can be exacerbated by natural resource extraction and that its effects on the region could be devastating. LAC could lose an average 4% of its GDP by 2030 due to the impacts of climate change, causing up to 2 million people to fall into extreme poverty.[1]

But before ridding ourselves of mining altogether, we should consider the inescapable presence that it has in our daily lives. Minerals and metals are the building blocks of the basic products we rely on such as computers, smartphones, cars, medical devices, and the building materials for our homes and roads.

An assessment of our dependence on mining can help us determine and demand the necessary innovations to address its negative environmental and social effects, which we rightfully find unacceptable.

Supporting global growth implies an increase in the demand for raw materials

According to the United Nations, without innovation, urbanization alone will increase the demand for raw materials from 40 billion tones in 2010 to 90 billion tones in 2050.[2] As a point of comparison, as China grew and urbanized, it consumed more cement between 2011 and 2013 than the United States did during the entire 20th Century.[3]

Even renewable energy technologies like solar, wind, and the batteries needed for electric vehicles and energy storage will require a large increase in the use of minerals and metals. According to the World Bank, for example, the demand for lithium, which is a key component in batteries, will increase by over 950% by 2050. The demand for copper – another metal necessary for the clean energy transition – will be same in the next 25 years as it was in the last 5,000.[4]

A higher demand for mineral resources could benefit many LAC countries. The region has among the largest proven reserves and production of the key metals needed in the future, including copper, gold, iron ore, lithium, nickel, and silver.

If developed responsibly and invested strategically, income from resource extraction can serve to improve the lives of individuals and communities throughout the region. Yet, this increased demand for raw materials could also intensify the negative impacts of climate change and lead to greater environmental degradation.

The mining sector will have to transform to protect the environment

Several things will be necessary to achieve low-carbon and low-impact mining. On the supply side, the mining industry will have to adopt innovative technologies and practices to extract sustainably. Today, mining accounts for roughly 11% of global energy use, for example.[5]

To reduce their carbon footprint, companies can integrate renewable energy to mineral processing, refining, and transportation, as well as innovate to make these processes more efficient. Companies must also innovate to reduce their use of water and to better manage their waste and environmental footprint.

On the demand side, companies downstream of the supply chain, such as technology and automotive companies, must innovate to reduce their demand for minerals through recycling and new technologies and industrial processes that are less material intensive. Citizens, too, have an important role to play in demanding products with high standards for the responsible sourcing of the minerals ultimately used in the products they consume.

LAC is key to the sustainable future of mining

Achieving low-carbon and low-impact mining will be a challenge. Given Latin America and the Caribbean’s strategic advantage in the sector, the region’s governments will play a critical role in the future of mining. They will have to align their policies and initiatives to create a favorable environment for smart, green innovation.

Throughout history humans have relied on minerals to innovate and evolve. Today, the region has an opportunity to shape the future of sustainable development worldwide. It cannot ignore this chance.

 

[1] The World Bank. 2016. Shock Waves: Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty. Washington, DC: World Bank.

[2] United Nations Environment Programme. 2018. The Weight of Cities Resource Requirements of Future Urbanization. Nairobi, Kenya: UNEP.

[3] Idem.

[4] The World Bank. 2017. The Growing Role of Minerals and Metals for a Low Carbon Future. Washington, DC: World Bank.

[5] Idem.


Filed Under: English, Español, Sin categorizar Tagged With: Climate change, energia renovable, energia renovable, litio, Mining

Estefanía Marchan

Estefanía Marchán is a consultant with the Extractive Sector Initiative at the Inter-American Development Bank, where she focuses on helping countries implement best practices in extractive-sector governance and research. Prior to this position, Estefanía was a consultant with the Bank’s Energy division, researching energy prices and subsidies as well as trade and investment in mining and energy. Estefanía has served in similar roles at various think thanks in the United States and India. She holds an MA in International Trade and Finance from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts and BAs in International Relations and Political Science from the University of Southern California.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

Subscribe

Search

Energy

A blog about the impact of renewables, technology and innovation in the energy industry.

Recent Posts

  • Regulatory recommendations to encourage the deployment of digital smart metering
  • Collaboration as a catalyst for decarbonization
  • Better lives, better climate: Latin America and its minerals
  • Bringing together the Caribbean through Energy
  • Moving Forward with Energy: 5 reflections on our work in 2022

Categories

  • covid-19
  • Digitalization
  • Energy Access
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Energy Integration
  • Energy transition
  • English
  • English
  • Español
  • Gender and Energy
  • Minerals
  • Renewable Energy
  • Sin categorizar
  • Uncategorized

Footer

Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo
facebook
twitter
youtube
youtube
youtube

Blog posts written by Bank employees:

Copyright © Inter-American Development Bank ("IDB"). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons IGO 3.0 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. (CC-IGO 3.0 BY-NC-ND) license and may be reproduced with attribution to the IDB and for any non-commercial purpose. No derivative work is allowed. Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL rules. The use of the IDB's name for any purpose other than for attribution, and the use of IDB's logo shall be subject to a separate written license agreement between the IDB and the user and is not authorized as part of this CC- IGO license. Note that link provided above includes additional terms and conditions of the license.


For blogs written by external parties:

For questions concerning copyright for authors that are not IADB employees please complete the contact form for this blog.

The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IDB, its Board of Directors, or the countries they represent.

Attribution: in addition to giving attribution to the respective author and copyright owner, as appropriate, we would appreciate if you could include a link that remits back the IDB Blogs website.



Privacy Policy

Derechos de autor © 2023 · Magazine Pro en Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo

Aviso Legal

Las opiniones expresadas en estos blogs son las de los autores y no necesariamente reflejan las opiniones del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, sus directivas, la Asamblea de Gobernadores o sus países miembros.

facebook
twitter
youtube
This site uses cookies to optimize functionality and give you the best possible experience. If you continue to navigate this website beyond this page, cookies will be placed on your browser.
To learn more about cookies, click here
X
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT