Tripling global renewable energy capacity was one of the headline commitments coming out of last year’s U.N. climate conference in Dubai. And increased mining of critical minerals, which are vital to feed these technologies, was a focal point at this year’s Mining Indaba, the world’s largest mining investment conference, held annually in South Africa. As mining company executives and African leaders flew in for the event, Rio Tinto banners to “reduce our carbon footprint” and “strive to advance the social and economic interests of communities” decorated the Cape Town airport. Inside the Indaba, there was a stage dedicated to sustainability, and hallways were adorned with images of smiling community members. Speakers were buoyant in discussing net-zero emissions, nature-positive mining, and the just energy transition. One of the factors contributing to this display, say experts, is a rebranding to attract more young people to the industry. According to a 2023 McKinsey report, covering Australia, North America and Latin America, 70% of respondents aged 15-30 years old said they definitely or probably wouldn’t work in mining. About 71% of mining executives said a talent shortage is holding them back from delivering on production targets and strategic objectives. And 86% said it’s harder to recruit and retain talent across specialized fields like mine planning, process engineering, and data science and automation. According to surveys and advocates, what’s holding potential workers back, particularly Gen Z, is their commitment to higher environmental and social standards — which the industry is repeatedly publicized for flunking. One…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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