Highlights

  • The Minerals Council South Africa has launched an updated climate change position ahead of the UN climate summit in Türkiye.
  • The position calls for a just and orderly transition that balances decarbonisation with economic growth, jobs and energy security.
  • It recognises coal's continuing role in South Africa's energy system while highlighting the minerals the country supplies for low-carbon technologies.

Climate policy and the energy transition are reshaping the global Mining industry, and Australian Market Participants following Metal and Mining Stocks are paying close attention to how major resource economies balance decarbonisation with growth. In South Africa, the Minerals Council South Africa has launched an updated climate change position ahead of the upcoming UN climate summit in Antalya, Türkiye. The industry body argues that the transition must be practical, economically viable and aligned with the country's development needs and natural resource endowment. The update is relevant to Australia because both nations are major mineral exporters with significant coal sectors, and because an Australian minister is set to play a prominent role in the summit's negotiations.

Minerals Council Updates Its Climate Change Position

The Minerals Council launched its updated position at its inaugural Climate Change Day of Learning, an event themed around mining, climate action and the road to the UN summit. The position refreshes the council's earlier climate stance to reflect a changed global and domestic environment.

The council frames South Africa as a developing country pursuing a responsible transition towards a low-emissions economy under the Paris Agreement. It commits the mining sector to reducing emissions and building resilience in its operations and host communities, and links the position to its broader growth strategy and to a Partnership between government and Business that treats mining as a priority growth sector.

Balancing Climate Ambition With Economic Growth

Shamini Harrington, Senior Executive for Environment, Health, Legacies and Employment Relations at the Minerals Council, said mining is central to both South Africa's development and the global climate transition. She said climate ambition and economic growth must reinforce each other, and that Capital is needed to grow the sector and sustain jobs.

The council describes the goal as a just and orderly transition, carefully managed to reduce emissions while protecting economic activity, employment and communities, and creating new opportunities for workers and mining regions.

Coal, Energy Security and Diversification

The position acknowledges that coal continues to play an important role in South Africa's energy security, industrial base and broader economy. At the same time, it notes that the country's energy system is gradually diversifying towards renewables, gas and nuclear power.

Reliable and affordable energy is treated as a core consideration alongside decarbonisation. For a mining sector that depends heavily on electricity, the stability of power Supply is closely linked to operational performance and the ability to expand production.

Minerals for a Low-Carbon Future

The council highlights mining's dual role in the transition: supplying the minerals needed for renewable energy, electrification and lower-carbon technologies, while also decarbonising its own operations. It points to platinum group metals, manganese, chrome, iron ore and vanadium as examples of minerals South Africa hosts that a low-carbon economy requires.

This emphasis reflects a wider trend among resource-rich nations to position their mining sectors as enablers of the energy transition rather than solely as sources of emissions. Australia's own resources sector has adopted similar language, presenting critical minerals and battery materials as essential inputs for clean energy supply chains while working to reduce emissions at mine sites.

The Australian Connection to the Climate Summit

The UN climate summit is scheduled to take place in Antalya during November, with Türkiye's Murat Kurum nominated as summit President. According to the UN climate secretariat, Australia's Chris Bowen will serve as President of Negotiations, giving Australia a central role in the diplomatic process.

Australia shares several characteristics with South Africa, including large coal and minerals export sectors and a policy debate over how to decarbonise while supporting regional economies. Industry positions from comparable producers can therefore offer useful context for Australian policymakers and companies.

Risks and Challenges in the Transition

Balancing emissions reduction with energy security and economic growth involves difficult trade-offs. Mining companies face pressure from regulators, financiers and customers to cut emissions, while also needing reliable power and stable policy settings to expand. The pace of Diversification away from coal, the availability of funding for new energy capacity and the social effects on coal-dependent communities all remain key challenges.

A Pragmatic Transition Message From South African Mining

The Minerals Council South Africa's updated climate position calls for a just and orderly transition that aligns decarbonisation with growth, jobs and energy security, while recognising coal's current role and the country's supply of transition minerals. Released ahead of the UN climate summit in Türkiye, where Australia's Chris Bowen will lead negotiations, the position adds to the global debate on mining's place in decarbonisation. For the Australian market, it offers a relevant comparison for a resources sector navigating similar pressures.