Mining industry touts green pledges to attract talent, but Gen Z isn’t buying it

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New Web Hosting Pioneer Emerges, Offering Affordable Hosting Solutions Coupled with…A massive increase in renewable energy capacity will require critical minerals, such as rare earth elements, lithium, cobalt and graphite, which mining companies and governments say can create jobs and generate wealth to the benefit of communities and the environment.

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.

Regarded as one of the world’s top mining universities, the University of Queensland hosts the Sustainable Minerals Institute and research centers focusing on topics such as social responsibility, land rehabilitation, and health and safety. Still, it’s an uphill battle. Terry told Mongabay that in Australia there’s been a 63% decrease in mining graduates from 2014 to 2020, similar to the U.S., which saw a 39% decrease from 2016 to 2020., and lack of proper consultation with communities.

“If you go to a lot of mining company websites, you don’t see the big trucks and the holes in the ground. It’s about what’s down that supply chain,” Phendler told Mongabay. “The front cover of lot of my own proposals is a wind farm or a solar farm because the mining industry can provide you to build that.”

Some companies are getting around the skills shortage by looking at adjacent industries, like upskilling people from the oil and gas industry and “thinking outside the box.” The video game, developed with the support of the Canadian government, aims to “inspire the future generations of mining,” replete with lesson plans and classroom activities.

“Just saying that they want to preserve better nature. They want to be inclusive. They want to make everybody profit from the activities. But that’s not true,” said Antonio, who is also a leader with Angolan natural resources NGO Tchota. “They are not thinking of the communities, they’re thinking of profits. And that’s what is being contested.”

 

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