Climate Smart Mine Emissions Widget

Bringing alignment and consistency across mining-related standards

The World Bank estimates that over 3 billion tons of minerals will be needed to deploy the wind, solar, and geothermal power, as well as energy storage, required to achieve a climate target of 2º C.

As demand for minerals intensifies, companies like Apple, Tiffany & Co., BMW, and Tesla and investors are beginning to use voluntary responsible standards. 

Research we initiated in 2019 found that on the critical issues of reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and setting targets for emissions reduction, there is wide variability in what’s being requested in standards and how companies are reporting. Initiatives were calling for different climate reporting metrics, with varying levels of rigor, particularly regarding target setting.

In response, RESOLVE has developed a new, open-source tool to support standards bodies, mining companies, downstream companies, and investors: the Climate Smart Mine Emissions Widget. The Widget can be used to evaluate responsible mining and investing standards against a set of norms, bring alignment and consistency across mining-related standards and initiatives on climate reporting and, in doing so, move the needle forward as mining companies, manufacturers, and investors seek to achieve greenhouse gas reduction goals.

The Widget includes a core climate reporting and target setting benchmarks that can be used to assess standards. The Widget can be used for self-assessment or RESOLVE can prepare a Widget alignment and standardization report, with recommendations for interested companies and standards organizations.

Two New Reports Available! 

To learn more about how your company or organization could use the Widget, read our new User Guide. To read more detail about the background research and methodology supporting the Widget, as well as an assessment of trends in emissions reporting and target setting during the course of our work, read our Widget Report. Both reports include details on the core climate reporting and target setting benchmarks.

The development of the Climate Smart Mine Emissions Widget is a model for how to fill gaps in standards, promote interoperability and bring alignment on other sustainability issues like free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) and biodiversity. Widgets for these issues are now in development.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) provided financial support and guidance. RESOLVE is consulted with several experts and organizations as we design the Widget, including research institutions focused on climate reporting and leaders in the mining sector.