In this issue

Welcome to the latest issue of MINE.

This month, we tackle a growing challenge to the mining industry, that threatens to derail even the most well-intentioned of environmental goals: that of scope three emissions. These indirect emissions, produced not by miners but their customers and clients, exist in a grey area between the actors involved in the mining industry, and raise questions as to who, if anyone, could be held responsible for their production.

We’ll also go around the world to look at some of the most unique, and controversial, mining projects across the globe. From a potential new industrial revolution on the British Isles to the formalisation of artisanal mining in Kenya, and growing concern over Chinese involvement in Afghan minerals, these projects could radically alter the mining landscape of their respective countries, and dramatically shift the balance of power in the global mining industry.

Speaking of the balance of power, we also ask if the current methods of extraction and refining disproportionately harm those closest to mine sites, and whether these processes show any signs of change. Within the context of delivering a just energy transition, can these imbalances ever be considered fair?

For all this, and our usual offering of news, insight and data pieces, read on.

JP Casey, editor