Planes, trains, and automobiles …. what are the world's most polluting transport activities?
Statistically, whilst air traffic does contribute to global NO2 levels, it's less than 2 to 3% of the total. They do however contribute significantly to CO2 emissions.
Electric trains don't produce any NO2 in and of themselves but as with anything electrical, they're only as environmentally friendly as the electricity that powers them. Many parts of the world though still rely on diesel and even coal burning steam engines. In the UK for example only 42% of the rail system has been converted to electricity, leaving diesel trains chugging away on the remaining 58%.
Then we come to our beloved horseless carriages, AKA automobiles. They produce about one tenth of direct NO2 emissions. When vast numbers of people stopped driving about in them because of covid-19 global lockdowns, it made a significant contribution to those double-digit percentage drops in NO2 emissions during January and February. As a case in point – according to some calculations, the 40% reduction compared to last year that we saw over parts of China in that period can be likened to taking 192,000 fossil fuel reliant motor vehicles out of circulation.
Expand these statistics globally. Phasing out fossil fuel guzzling modes of transport and replacing them with cleaner, greener electric and hydrogen vehicles will make a huge dent in the amount of NO2 we pump into the environment. We've been shown this in no uncertain terms over the past few months. People around the world are reporting that their air seems to be cleaner, purer than before the pandemic. There are reports of wildlife activity increasing within urban areas. Birds and insects are returning as human activities reduce and pollution clears. We also have the statistics to back up these observations. Although it has to be said – if diesel generators are providing the electricity at the charging stations for those electric vehicles, it puts a bit of a damper on the whole concept of 'clean, green vehicle'!
To truly clean up our act, we have to replace not just fossil fuel guzzling vehicles but also fossil fuel guzzling power plants. This means ramping up our use of renewable energy and various other low-carbon electricity generating sources. According to reports like this one, switching off 500 coal-powered power stations for 12 months, or replacing them with 'green' alternatives, would result in a 10% reduction in direct electricity generation caused NO2 emissions.
What is mining's role in all this?
If the world grasps this extraordinary opportunity to clean ourselves up, experts expect to see several trends emerging post coronavirus. Key amongst these is an increase in investment and interest in renewable energies. There are very good economic and environmental reasons why this should happen. It will encourage much-needed economic activity, and contribute to reducing the impacts of global warming. Win win situation all round. However, it will need a major mindset rearrangement in countries where digging up coal for short-term financial gain still trumps the long-term benefits of looking after the environment!
In a report released on May 11, 2020, the World Bank stated that globally the production of minerals like cobalt, graphite and lithium would need to be ramped up by 500% by the middle of this century if investment levels in renewables goes as predicted. The same report also noted that it will take some 3 billion tonnes of metal, and minerals, to manufacture the renewable energy sources and storage needed if we want to keep global warming below 2oC. It won't just be cobalt and lithium in high demand either. Demand for aluminium, chromium, copper and molybdenum will also rise significantly.
That's good news for developing countries where economical reserves of these types of minerals are located. However, despite the World Bank's prediction that such demand will drive economic growth in those countries, pundits predict that, initially at least, it will be developed countries with the infrastructure and regulatory frameworks already in place who stand to benefit the most. That's inevitably mining powerhouse countries like Australia, Canada, the United States and Chile, all of which also have significant reserves of many of these minerals.
What does this mean for CEO's of mining companies currently wondering how the post-covid landscape is going to look?
One thing is clear. One hundred and ninety-five countries are currently signed up to the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. A quick consult with Google will tell you that there are only 195, or 197 depending on which site you visit, countries anyway. So, 'literally' every country in the world has agreed in principle at least to do what it takes to keep global warming under 2oC.
Mining plays a key role in many supply chains that contribute to global emissions and obviously it will play a similarly pivotal role in supply chains designed to reduce those emissions. Not to mention the fact that the industry itself also needs to set and meet its own emission-reduction goals. Currently mining produces, or is responsible for, a significant percentage of global greenhouse gas emissions. There are the emissions produced
Also significantly, as an integral part of the whole decarbonisation process, mining portfolios will have to factor in both the costs and the effects of decarbonisation in other industries. Manufacturers and consumers will be increasingly looking for carbon-neutral components and products respectively. Apple and many other manufacturers are already committed to sourcing sustainably and ethically produced components, from raw materials to end product. That list will only grow.