A new survey suggests that while nearly half of people in the mining industry think climate change is already affecting their operations, people in the field are much more likely to hold that belief than executives in head offices.
"There's a bit of a disconnect between those who are more involved in the day-to-day operation of mines versus those who are in senior levels," says Dale Marshall, who oversaw the research for the David Suzuki Foundation.
"It definitely suggests that there's inertia at senior levels that may be constraining the mining sector in terms of planning for climate changes."
The foundation surveyed 42 attendees at the 2008 prospectors and developers conference in Toronto and also conducted 62 phone interviews with a series of people working directly at mine sites across Canada.
About 48 per cent of the attendees and 34 per cent of the telephone respondents said the warming climate has already affected their operations.
Only 25 per cent of those in executive positions, however, shared that belief.
"The data suggest that respondents with direct operational responsibilities expect future climate change to affect company operations," the report says.
Those effects include prematurely melting ice roads, more frequent forest fires and more severe storms.
The report points out that in 2006, diamond mines had to pay millions of dollars extra when unseasonably warm temperatures forced them to fly in supplies.
Last summer, flooding rains wiped out four kilometres of mining road in the Yukon.
Recently, Quebec gravel quarries have had to curtail production when parching weather made it impossible for them to follow dust suppression rules.
Climate change may also threaten mine structures, such as retaining walls or berms, built on permafrost.
Mines that depend on water transport may also face heavier storms or fluctuating water levels.
The report also points out that climate change could create problems for many of Canada's 27,000 abandoned and decommissioned mines.
"What will happen to operating mines after decommissioning in a changing climate is also currently not well understood," it says.
Marshall acknowledges that it's risky to ascribe individual weather events to climate change. But he says those events are typical of what climate scientists say will become more common in the future.
"Some of these have the fingerprint of climate change," says Marshall. "We know that as the climate warms, many of these events will happen more often."
Marshall says the mining industry has taken steps to cut its greenhouse gas emissions.
But he's hoping this survey will be used to convince leaders that climate change needs to be taken into account right from the start of the process.
"Mines are still being designed assuming that the climate isn't changing," he says. "We feel very strongly that climate change needs to be mainstreamed into the planning process."
