Editor's letter

Welcome to the latest issue of MINE.

This month, we go far north to assess the status of mining in the Arctic Circle, and specifically the region around the Svalbard Islands. While Norway and Russia have historically held claims to the area, growing discontentment towards the latter among much of the world, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has led to questions about the legitimacy of Russia’s activities in the area.

We also look ahead to the future of Chinese coal mining, and investigate mining in British Columbia in particular, and Canada more broadly, as paradoxical priorities over mineral extraction and environmental protection clash in North America.

We also debut our first thematic supplement, covering cloud computing in the sector. How could the global mining industry benefit from a shift to more decentralised computing, and what role does advanced digital architecture have to play in the future of the sector?

For all this and more, read on.

JP Casey, editor