Modern Mining August 2023

CLIMATE CHANGE

De Beers to surpass Paris Agreement aligned emission reduction targets Diamond miner, De Beers is on an ambitious drive to surpass the carbon emissions targets it has set, in ac cordance with the Paris Agreement, with the Venetia Underground Mine, which is in the final leg of completion, being a showcase asset in implementing key ‘green’ initiatives.

being carbon neutral by 2030, the miner has sev eral initiatives at play and continues to seek out new opportunities to progress its mission. During 2022, De Beers saw advances across all four Building Forever pillars and all 12 goals, which included reduction in water use and energy inten sity, innovations in diamond tracing technology, increased representation of women in senior leader ship and progress towards its climate commitments. The subsidiary of JSE-listed entity, Anglo American, has set near-term emission reduction tar gets that aim to reduce, by 42 per cent, Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030 and absolute Scope 3 emissions by 25 percent within the same timeframe. In setting the targets across all three scopes, which have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), De Beers is extending its climate ambition over and above its existing commitment to be carbon neutral across Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030. “At De Beers,” says Hund, “we are working to meet and surpass the targets, using our three stra tegic levers of ‘reduce, replace and remove’, with the category of ‘reduce focused on improving effi ciencies by innovating and applying the newest technologies’. By being more efficient, we can lower the quantity of emissions produced. For instance, when we operate at peak levels of efficiency, we use less electricity and diesel, which translates to cost savings. Importantly, as we move towards a lower carbon footprint, we unlock several benefits for the company, communities, and the planet.” Clean energy drive Although the miner is on a speedy drive to move away from fossil fuel-based electricity towards renewable energy, given that most of De Beers

T he Paris Agreement’s overarching goal is to hold “the increase in the global average tem perature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and pursue efforts “to limit the tempera ture increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.” As such, businesses are implementing mea sures to lower their carbon emissions and progress sustainability programmes to meet the stated aspira tions, guided by science-based emissions reduction targets. De Beers, the world’s leading diamond miner, set out its Building Forever goals in 2020. These are a blueprint for creating a positive and sustainable impact in its host countries and throughout the dia mond value chain. Its goals span four pillars: leading ethical practices, partnering for thriving communities, protecting the natural world, and accelerating equal opportunity. Kirsten Hund, head of carbon neutrality at De Beers, explains that in line with working towards Louis Swartz, energy and carbon manager at De Beers Group.

Kirsten Hund, head of carbon neutrality at De Beers Group.

24  MODERN MINING  August 2023