The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has published a new report that outlines opportunities for advancing carbon dioxide removal (CDR) in the mining industry.
In the publication, RMI provides a comprehensive assessment of the opportunities for the responsible development of CDR in mining, outlining key obstacles and challenges that need to be solved and offering an action agenda for mine operators and relevant stakeholders.
Carbon dioxide removal will be a crucial climate action asset in the coming decades. In order to meet global climate goals, the world will need billions of tons of it on an annual basis.
The mining industry could help meet a portion of these ambitious CDR volumes. RMI points out that implementing carbon removal projects on mine sites could result in over 1 billion tons of CO2 removal annually.
These removals, the institute highlights, could be reached at a competitive cost in comparison with other CDR forms, all while boosting mine safety, productivity, and profits.
As CDR falls outside of conventional mining business models, its advancement within this sector will present new barriers for mine operators. This effort will demand the creation of new markets and market infrastructure, as well as designing regulations in collaboration with stakeholders outside of mining.
To ease CDR advancement in mining, RMI outlines future steps that can help unlock progress in this direction.
The RMI report covers various aspects of CDR advancement in mining
In that regard, the report names 14 different CDR pathways relevant to mining and how they can be deployed within this industry, making a business case for mine operators in terms of productivity, earnings, risk management, and strategic resilience.
The publication maps out current CDR activity in mining while also offering details on relevant commodities and feedstocks for geochemical CDR methods and information on how CDR projects are quantified and verified for negative CO2 emissions.
Relevant: New Whitepaper Outlines Geochemical CDR Scaling Opportunities In Mining
Other report highlights include a proposed action agenda for all stakeholders to advance responsible CDR deployment in mining, with specifics on environmental and social impact considerations.
Further information can be found in the complete report, available for download here.
Read more: New Whitepaper Outlines Major CDR Scaling Opportunities Via Industrial Mineralization
