Canada Invests in Climate Change Adaptation for the Mining Sector

OTTAWA, May 17, 2019 /CNW/ - A changing climate is the single greatest global challenge of our time. That is why the Government of Canada is investing in climate adaptation and resilience, while supplying the minerals and metals needed for clean technologies throughout the world.

Paul Lefebvre, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, today announced an investment of more than $325,000 to the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) for a climate change adaptation project for the mining sector. This investment was announced as part of National Mining Week (May 13 to 19, 2019), reiterating the importance of the mining sector to Canada's clean growth future.

Funded through Natural Resources Canada's Climate Change Adaptation Program, this project will enable MAC to work with industry and other experts to develop best practices and guidance for the mining sector on climate change risks and adaptation measures.

The project ? Climate Change Risk and Adaptation Best Practices for the Mining Sector ? will give mine operators the tools and knowledge needed to better plan for climate change in decision-making at all stages of mine life. As a result, mining operations will be more resilient to a changing climate and extreme weather events. With a total value of $650,000, the project received additional support from MAC, Golder Associates and Lorax Environmental Services.

This investment builds on other Government of Canada initiatives, namely the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan, which was developed in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous peoples, industry and civil society. The Plan is based on a number of strategic directions for the future of the sector, one of which is the environment, and includes a vision for the continual reduction of mining's environmental footprint and systematic climate change adaptation planning.

The Mining Association of Canada is the national voice of the Canadian mining industry. Working alongside its members, MAC promotes the industry nationally and internationally, works with governments on policies affecting the sector and educates the public on the value mining brings to the economy and the daily life of Canadians.

The global shift toward a cleaner, greener economy is the opportunity of a lifetime. From May 27?29, 2019, Canada will welcome over 25 countries to this year's Clean Energy Ministerial and Mission Innovation Ministerial to discuss a future that is cleaner, brighter and more prosperous for generations to come. Canada will showcase its leadership in cleantech innovation, champion the issue of gender equality, youth and Indigenous peoples in clean energy and promote Canada as an investment destination. Learn more at: http://cem-mi-vancouver2019.ca/. 

Quotes

"By investing in sustainable mining projects like this one by the Mining Association of Canada, our government is helping ensure that our natural resources, including minerals and metals, play an important role in supplying the building blocks for clean technologies across the world. By helping our mining sector to adapt to a changing climate, we are proving once more that the environment and the economy go hand in hand."

Paul Lefebvre
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources

"Adaptation to a changing climate is needed across all sectors of society, from municipal infrastructure, to transportation, to agriculture and forestry. Mining is no different, and it is important that there be solutions tailored to both the environments in which mines operate and the infrastructure on which mining depends. The outcome of this project will be the first of its kind ? best practice guidance for our industry to both assess potential future climate changes at mine sites and assess potential impacts of those changes on mine operations and infrastructure."

Pierre Gratton
President and Chief Executive Officer, Mining Association of Canada

"Adapting to climate change is a necessary step forward at any mine, and the new MAC guidelines will help the mining sector do just that by providing best practices for risk management and adaptation in a changing climate. Golder is proud to be leading the development of these guidelines with MAC and its members: incorporating climate change considerations into decision making at all stages of mine life will make for more resilient designs and sustainable operations."

Jill Baker
Senior Environmental Assessment Specialist, Golder Associates

Related Information

• Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan
• Climate Change: Impacts and Adaptation
• Simply Science: Climate Change
• Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada