On September 19th, 2021, the second China Mining Legal Summit Forum was held in Beijing. In attendance were experts and representatives from the government, universities, and mining enterprises. The primary goal of the Forum was to hold discussion and comment on different insights about the further development of the mining and energy industry in China.
China announced its emission peak and carbon neutrality goals in 2020. Being a big manufacturer and consumer of mineral products, China relies heavily on mineral resources: more than 95 percent of energy, 80 percent of industrial raw materials, and 70 percent of agricultural materials are all derive from mineral resources. Achieving emission peak and carbon neutrality are ambitious goals that serve as both an opportunity and a challenge for China. It’s important to remain precautious of these potential challenges as China begins transforming the energy framework, especially with the upgrading of mineral energy.
Several important topics were raised and discussed by participants:
1. Mining regulations call for further improvement.
In the past few years, China has gradually reformed the mining system and its regulations. The regulations were improved to coordinate with the mining geology, natural resources, economic laws and other policies. Specifically, the revised draft of the Mineral Resources Law was issued for public opinions after years of preparation.
2. Sustainable development of the mining industry.
One of the keys to sustainable development of mining is to reduce pollution. However, carbon emission is not the only source of mining pollution, and not all mining operations and chains release carbon dioxide. Moreover, carbon emission can be categorized as direct and indirect emission. Therefore, to achieve their climate goals and sustainability, it is important for participants and stakeholders to accurately target the emission source and define the key factors and indicators involved in emission reduction (such as control of energy intensity and total energy consumption) .
3. Specific suggestions for a greener development of mining
Experts suggested efforts in four fields pertaining to better and green development: ecological restoration and carbon sinks; comprehensive utilization of tailings; comprehensive utilization of solid waste in mining industry; technological innovation, including low carbon mining production and low carbon smelting of metal and non-metal. At the same time, the integration of a legal system, media and other mining-related services should also be improved in the suggestions.
More and more experts, researchers, and professors in the sector have joined efforts towards the emission reduction of mining. An integrated improvement in broader fields related to mining could be expected in this circumstance. Therefore, foreign manufacturers and service providers with cutting-edge technology will have more potential market share in China. Business opportunities are not limited to mining enterprises and organizations. There are also considerable demands for supporting services such as legal service systems and professional personnel training systems for the mining industries. At the same time, the legalization process of carbon reduction and emission reduction in China's mining industry might bring changes to the existing market pattern due to the changes and improvements of technical requirements. MNC’s and joint ventures should be attentive to the dynamics of regulations and standards in the mining industry in order to coordinate with them and make further predictions.
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