PDAC, CROSS-CANADA MINING SURVEY

Canadian miners say global climate change definitely hurts mining

A survey conducted at this year's PDAC conference and across Canada by the David Suzuki Foundation finds a substantial portion of the miners and explorers surveyed believe climate change is already harming their operations.

Author: Dorothy Kosich

Posted: Thursday , 20 Aug 2009

RENO, NV -

The foundation's survey of 48 attendees at PDAC found half of them felt snowfall was the most common climate-change related event affecting mining operations while freezing rain had the least impact. Thirty-six percent of the respondents said forest fires and ice conditions also affected operations.

Only 21% of those surveyed mentioned that high temperatures were having a direct impact on operations, compared to the 38% who said cold temperatures were having an impact. Flooding, storms and heavy rainfall were identified by between 20 to 26% of the respondents as affecting mining operations.

"It is noteworthy that senior management were less likely to perceive climate hazards as negatively affecting operations compared to those performing other roles," said report authors Tristan Peace, James D. Ford, Jason Prno, and Frank Duerden.

Of those miners who expect climate change to affect their company, 45% perceive the impact to be bad for business. "Increased forest fire occurrence was identified as the most serious threat followed by increased snowfall," the report said. "Shorter ice seasons, higher temperatures, more storms and more flooding were also frequently noted."

Despite the threat of future climate change, most mining companies are not currently planning for the impacts of future climate change, according to the survey. Costs and uncertainty were most often cited as barriers for helping mining companies adapt to future climate change.

Nevertheless, the majority of the miners said their companies are making effects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The report said many Canadian mining operations are located in remote locations and are often dependent on climate sensitive transportation routes for importing supplies and exporting minerals. "Moreover, extreme weather including heavy snowfall, forest fires and extreme cold can also reduce operational capacity," the report noted. "For example at very low temperatures equipment may become difficult to operate, and occupational health and safety guidelines have been established for personnel working in climatic extremes."

"Regional differences in climate hazards are also apparent. Rainfall is more important as a hazard to mine operations in BC, where mines located in mountainous terrain are sensitive to rainfall initiated mud and debris flows, and transportation routes are at risk of wash out, particularly during heavy rainfall in the spring melt."

"Mine operations in Central Canada were more likely to be affected by freezing rain, flooding, extreme cold and storm, which is reflective of the extreme weather of the central provinces," the report said.

CROSS CANADA PORTION OF SURVEY

A cross-Canada survey in 2008 randomly selected 62 mining practitioners working on the ground across the country. Their responses often matched those respondents surveyed at PDAC.

However, the most commonly identified climatic hazards among the mining group were too much rainfall (71%), too much snowfall (56%), storm events (33%), flooding (25%), and cold temperatures (19%).

Fifty-eight percent of those responding expect future climate changes to have an impact on mining operations.

Unlike the PDAC survey which did not pose the question to its respondents, the miners surveyed across Canada said transportation networks and on-site transportation are most likely to be affected by climate change. Forty-three percent of the respondents were concerned about impacts on processing, 30% on activity timing and 24% on mine drainage.

The reported noted that mining companies operating in the Northwest Territories already "face unique climatic challenges" with a harsh climate in the winter, short daylight hours, and winter storms. The ground these sites are built on is underlain by year-round permafrost.

The seasonal ice road network that serves the diamond mining operations in the North West Territories "has been especially susceptible," the report said. "As truck loads on the ice road are expected to grow in coming years with increased regional mining activity, melting conditions are an obvious concern. The financial costs of a reduced ice road season are significant."

However some solutions are being implemented including lighter-weight and amphibious machinery to facilitate road construction earlier in the reason; alternate road routings have been developed; and long-term alternatives to ice roads are being explored.

Metal mines in Quebec complained about dust emissions and the role of warm, dry conditions in exacerbating this problem. Variation in rainfall also affected operations.

Miners in Saskatchewan would like to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and improve access to large lakes to ship product to key markets.

To read the report "Climate Change and Canadian Mining: Opportunities for Adaption", go to www.davidsuzuki.org.

http://www.mineweb.co.za/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page68?oid=87795&sn=Detail