Transcriber: sandy chew Reviewer: David DeRuwe
Mining. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear that word?
Environmental destruction? Greedy corporations?
Maybe extreme working conditions?
You see, in fact, most people don’t ever think about mining.
It’s one of those industries that comes to mind when something terrible happens,
and that’s exactly what happened in Turkey where I grew up.
In 2014, in a small mining town not far from where my parents live,
an explosion in a coal mine trapped hundreds of people underground.
The rescue lasted four days,
and after the final bodies were pulled from the mine,
this incident became the worst mine disaster in the history of the country.
301 workers lost their lives.
How could this happen?
I mean, people were angry, especially since they had protested
the working conditions just the year before.
Suddenly the whole country was talking about mining.
My parents called me on the day of the accident. They were worried.
They asked if I ever go underground as part of my work.
It took an accident close to home to get my family curious about mining.
Mining isn’t something we casually talk about - it’s out of sight, out of mind.
Now, I didn’t grow up saying, “Hey, I want to work in mining.”
Actually, I didn’t know anything about it.
As a kid, I had my eye on the sky ...
the aerospace.
(Laughter)
I would stare at the planes, studied the engines, wondered how it all worked.
So I became a mechanical engineer.
But after finishing college, I couldn't find a job. No.
Instead, I ended up on a mining site as an intern.
Aerospace to mining -
I went from 30,000 feet in the air to 1000 feet below ground.
And it was love at first sight. I still remember my first site visit.
It was an open-pit mine with three-story high trucks -
three stories!
Right next to the mine,
there was a refinery with huge vessels full of molten metal.
It was like a scene right out of “Star Wars.”
I also had the chance to witness how much mining is part of our lives.
Our smartphone, for instance -
it has over 20 different types of metals in it: aluminum, copper, even gold.
And that’s just our phone.
Then there’s our computer, the car we drive, the building we live in.
These metals - they come from somewhere, right?
So after my internship, that was it. I was hooked.
I’ve been in the industry now for over a decade,
and from northern Canada to Madagascar, mining took me all over the world.
But it wasn’t until last year it really hit me; I had an aha moment.
I was in the Canadian subarctic in a mine site.
Of course, in the middle of winter, -40 degrees Celsius,
which is also -40 Fahrenheit, by the way.
In other words ... freaking cold.
(Laughter)
The site was so remote, there was no access to electrical grids,
so they had to make their own electricity using diesel-powered generators.
The whole site ran on diesel fuel.
They would bring diesel tanks by train every week to keep the production alive.
Now that's a lot of fossil fuels.
On some level, I always knew how resource-hungry mining is,
but this time it brought it home for me.
The environmental cost of mining is huge.
Now, here’s the thing:
As bad as the industry may seem now,
we actually need mining to save the environment.
Yes, we need mining to save the environment.
Think about all the renewable energy tech:
solar panels, wind turbines, electric batteries.
These clean energy technologies require metals and minerals,
and they need to be mined.
So my question for you today: [Is renewable energy really clean?]
If the mining industry is not clean, can we call renewable energy clean?
There is no doubt mining has to become greener, and sooner than later.
Now, that’s a big change, especially for an industry considered dirty.
There is good news.
Last year, for instance,
as part of International Council on Mining and Metals, ICMM,
the world’s largest mining companies made a commitment.
They promised that mining will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions
and achieve net zero by 2050.
That sounds good, right?
There are some flaws: First, the year 2050. It’s 28 years away.
Most of the executives who committed to this plan will be retired by then.
I’ll be retired by then.
So the accountability piece on this project could fall apart.
Second, this plan covers only a portion of the full value chain of mining,
as there is no clear game plan on how to reduce the emissions
from the customers of mining companies,
which are the steel producers and manufacturers.
Now, this is a great first step in the right direction.
It’s just not enough.
It’s not comprehensive enough, and it’s not fast enough.
But we have the power to accelerate this.
You see, most changes in industries are created by external pressure,
such as government policies.
But the greatest external pressure is you and me, the consumers.
When enough consumers demand change, business reacts.
More and more,
we buy products and services from companies aligned with our values.
So brands can no longer afford to stay silent
when it comes to sustainability.
Now, you may be wondering out,
now how are we going to change an industry as big and as far removed as mining?
I mean, it's not like we go and buy nickel
or gold directly from these mining companies, right?
There are several middlemen.
So here’s the solution:
It starts with our awareness around the metals and minerals in our lives.
And to be honest, as it stands, we have to go out of our way
to learn about these metals and minerals in our products.
What if ...
What if we could see this information?
What if this information was available and easily accessible,
just like the ingredient list and the nutrition label on our food?
Let’s say you scan a QR code on your Pepsi can,
then you could see what metals were used,
how they were mined, what’s their carbon footprint?
Basically, this journey from the mine to us consumers.
Now, this would help raise awareness
and close the gap between mining and us, the consumers, right?
So next time we buy a car or a TV, let’s ask -
just ask what metals and minerals were used, how they were sourced,
what are their carbon emissions?
Now, I can’t promise that you’ll find the answers you are looking for,
not right away at least, but it will only happen if we get the conversation started.
The more questions we ask, the more the industry needs to respond.
As a result, this chain of information will make it all the way to us.
Then we can make informed decisions about our purchases.
Just like comparing the sugar content on our soft drink,
we will choose the brand
that uses responsibly-mined and low-emission mining products.
Once we have this visibility,
I promise you it will change the way the whole industry operates.
Remember mining isn’t ...
It’s an integral part of our lives and is not going away.
It’s also part of our transition for a clean future.
The industry needs to embrace the sustainability mindset,
and we, the consumers, are the catalyst to speed up that process.
In mining, we don’t just dig a hole in the ground, guys - we build the world.
We build the future of the world. Let’s do it sustainably together.
Thank you.
(Applause)