In the snow and scarce daylight that characterises the city of Montreal in winter, world leaders will converge this December to shine light on the serious global challenge of nature loss and set new targets to be achieved by 2030. Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are currently ranked as one of the top threats humanity will face (PDF) this decade, and there are growing calls for the world to become both net zero and nature positive. We all have a part to play in addressing nature loss, and the mining industry is uniquely poised to make a significant contribution.
Beyond direct impact
For a responsible mining and metals industry, biodiversity conservation involves two baseline performance expectations: avoiding certain sensitive areas, and addressing risks and impacts to biodiversity. At Teck, these expectations have informed our practices for over a decade. But now, rapid decline in ecosystems’ health and interconnected climate change risks and impacts compel us to broaden our vision and shorten our timeframes for action.
During the COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference in 2021, a relatively new concept took center stage in discussions around nature and biodiversity conservation. The G7 endorsed a global approach to a “nature positive economy,” calling for a commitment to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, from a 2020 baseline. In practice, this means that all sectors will need to work together to achieve a nature positive world. In response, thousands of businesses, including Teck, are making commitments and taking action to reverse the loss of nature.
Supporting a nature positive future
In June 2022, Teck became the first mining company to set a goal to become nature positive, in line with this global call to action. For us, this means that by 2030, our conservation, protection and restoration of land and biodiversity will exceed the disturbance caused by our mining activities from a 2020 baseline. In doing so, we will conserve or rehabilitate at least three hectares for every one hectare affected by our mining activities. We are committed to working with local partners, communities and Indigenous Peoples to conserve and restore ecologically and culturally significant lands, and are taking action immediately in three focus areas:
- Nature positive decision making guided by Western science and Indigenous knowledge, including assessing the biodiversity impacts of our actions and avoiding or minimizing negative impacts where possible as part of our business and site planning.
- Rehabilitation excellence to accelerate our pace of rehabilitation to ensure it is in progress for all eligible land impacted by mining at our operations by 2030.
- Conservation, protection and restoration through partnerships such as those conserving 14,000 hectares that we have announced so far in 2022, equivalent to over 40% of Teck’s current mining footprint
The mining and metals sector provides resources essential to make life better, coupled with direct, intimate, and long-term connections to land, water, and people in every corner of the globe. These responsibilities and relationships bring with them the opportunity and obligation to demonstrate leadership in working to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
As the days shorten and speed towards the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP 15 conference in Montreal, Teck is supporting a nature positive future by both doing our part and demonstrating how businesses can approach these public-private conversations on nature positive from a leadership position.
As our world faces the mounting challenge of nature loss, there has never been a more urgent time for all of us to take action. Every sector has a role we can play in halting and reversing nature loss, and making a better world for today and tomorrow.
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Guest author:
Carleigh Whitman
This market insight comes from Carleigh Whitman of Teck Resources Limited. Teck is one of Canada’s leading mining companies with operations and projects in Canada, the US, Chile and Peru. Teck is committed to running its business sustainably, safeguarding the health and safety of its employees, and forging solid bonds with the communities in which they operate. They place a heavy focus on responsibly mining the metals and materials which are essential for the modern world and the global transition to a low-carbon economy. Teck has copper, lead and zinc brands listed at the LME and they have been pivotal players in helping to support LMEpassport and the LME’s responsible sourcing requirements.