This report examines the impact of decarbonisation on resource inventories and demographics through a novel ‘minetown systems’ approach and highlights the need for targeted macro-level planning in response to the global energy transition. The research establishes an empirical basis for mapping the spatial dynamics of mineral resource extraction, assessing the inter-relationship between minerals and socio-economic systems. The spatial dynamics of brownfield sites should pay greater attention to implications for rural and remote areas, where loss of jobs and economic activity is likely to have a much greater impact than urban areas. Policymakers in major mining areas need to collect more reliable data on resource inventories and insist on more rigorous reporting, including in Africa, South America and the Asia-Pacific. The study also emphasises the importance of ethical considerations in the transition to a low-carbon future, especially in the context of supporting workers and communities dependent on coal revenues.

ESG issues

The report identifies socio-economic considerations as a central theme in the energy transition policy discussion, highlighting concerns about the equitable distribution of risk and benefit, as well as the future implications for workers and communities. Issues such as Just Transition, social license to operate, ethical minerals, and supply chain transparency are emerging as central to achieving ecological sustainability, environmental justice, and human rights in the transition to a low-carbon future.

Recommendations

The study calls for policymakers to take account of the inter-relationship between resource inventories and demographics in developing policies, regulations, plans, and investment frameworks to support the transition towards a low-carbon future. Economic planning and development policies need to adopt a broader territorial perspective that accounts for the interlinkages between townships of different sizes in hierarchical mine-town systems. Governments and corporates need to improve their data collection and reporting to mitigate the impact of decarbonisation on societal and economic stability. Our findings suggest that policymakers in countries with significant coal, oil or metal intensive industries may benefit from developing detailed just transition plans that link resource inventories and mining communities with national energy strategies.