Unmitigated climate change is expected to significantly impact the global natural environment and can influence or exacerbate existing risks, such as the loss of biodiversity. Nature is essential to climate regulation and offers important opportunities to manage and mitigate the impacts of climate change. 

The world’s management of climate-related risks (threats and opportunities) is therefore inextricably linked to effective stewardship of nature and vice versa.  

Increased demand for materials critical to supporting the energy transition and population growth has the potential to increase direct impacts on nature, including from land-use change, water use, pollution and introducing invasive species. Safe and reliable operations and supply chains to produce these materials depend on the services provided by healthy and functioning ecosystems (e.g. stable water supply and climate regulation). 

At the same time, the reduction of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement is unlikely without reversing nature loss and preserving and enhancing nature-based carbon sinks provided by forests, wetlands and oceans. The potential impacts of climate change further threaten the environment, making natural systems less capable of withstanding and adapting to ongoing changes in the climate, and releasing further GHG emissions to the atmosphere when natural sinks are damaged or lost. 

We acknowledge our mining operations across their lifecycle and the associated value chain can have direct and indirect impacts on nature, and our operations and supply chain are dependent on the services provided by healthy and functioning ecosystems. 

For information on our ambition, approach and position on environment and nature refer to the Nature and environmental performance webpage.