Dear friends,

The AGM season is upon us, with the annual shareholders’ meetings of Rio Tinto, Anglo American and Glencore coming up over the next two months.

The first is Rio Tinto on Thursday 6 April. We are working with friends at XR to present a ‘mock trial’ of the company outside its St James’s Square offices at 1pm on Wednesday 5 April. We are holding a public meeting that same day at 6.30pm at Amnesty International UK (doors open at 6pm) with testimony from representatives of communities affected by the company’s activities in Arizona (USA), Madagascar and Serbia. Registration for the evening event is essential – do please sign up on Eventbrite.

Rio Tinto itself believes it has more work to do to protect Indigenous cultural heritage at its mines around the world. Why, then, its continued insistence on pressing on with its Resolution Copper project in Arizona, which would destroy an indigenous sacred site? Why its insistence on pursuing the Jadar lithium project in Serbia despite the damage that would do to ancient cultural sites? And the company’s activities in Madagascar continue to cause concern because of their impacts on water.

We hope to be hosting visitors from Chile and Brazil for the Anglo American AGM in London on 26 April – more on that in due course. If you have not already done so, do read our report on the effects of Anglo American’s operations in Latin America.

Glencore’s 26 May AGM will be in Switzerland, and we are working with colleagues there to ensure a critical presence. The company has hardly covered itself in glory in recent weeks. It has been ordered to pay $700 million by a US judge in one bribery case and hit by a fresh bribery-related lawsuit in the UK.

Meanwhile, BHP is potentially facing a £36 billion ($44 billion) lawsuit in London over Brazil’s worst environmental disaster after the number of claimants more than tripled to 700,000.

People in Wales are standing up to say they want to carve out a future that does not carve up more of their land for coal mining, and do not want Wales to fuel further climate chaos – the effects of which are already being felt there with flooding and storms. Our friends at LMN member group Coal Action Network are hiring two new workers to help the cause – an Operations Administrator (Finance) and a Campaigner: Fossil Fuel Insurance (UK).

Meanwhile, in Chile, people have been telling UK parliamentarians about the destructive impacts of mining for lithium and copper for the low-carbon transition. We cannot mine our way out of the climate crisis: we need to find a less materially intensive way of living!

And there is plenty more news below.

All the best,

Richard Solly,

Co-ordinator, London Mining Network.

In this mailout

Events to come

The Trial of Rio Tinto

Public Event – Rio Tinto: Against People, Climate and Nature

Past events on video

LMN PEN skillshare

LMN Resisting Mining book club

Take Action

Tell your MP: back a new law to protect forests and people

UK Divest campaign on local authority pension funds

News

1) Rio Tinto in the news

2) News about BHP

3) Glencore in the news

4) Coal on trial in Wales: the right to choose a coal-free future

5) Report: Decarbonize steelmaking

6) OPSAL member denounces conflicts and consequences of lithium and copper megamining in the Salar de Atacama before a delegation of UK parliamentarians

7) UK to help Kazakh exports bypass Russia, seeks critical minerals

8) Over 220 organizations call on Colombian government to withdraw from international investment treaties that enable million-dollar corporate claims

9) Bauxite mining in Jamaica

10) London Metal Exchange gets its nickel in a twist

11) South Africa: NUM applies for court ban against Anglo American over health and safety laws

12) Zambia: Civil Society believes government’s intention to make Kabwe a ‘green city’ can help address the toxic lead poison that has harmed residents for years

13) “Lake Sevan and the city of Jermuk are in danger due to mining”: Armenian environmentalists

14) Deep Sea Mining

15) Peru: Government management of mining projects faces new protests

16) HSBC says greenwash risks have potential to impede market access

17) Transition minerals and Labour Party policy development

18) The Right to Say No to mining

19) The UK has a role to play in tackling illegal gold mining in Brazil

20) Extractive Commodity Trading Report 2023 finds no marked shift towards more responsible practices among companies assessed

21) SOMO launches The Counter – a global help desk for activists challenging corporate power

22) ‘Lead the Charge’ Campaign Launches with Scorecard Tracking Human Rights and Environmental Policy in the EV Supply Chain

23) The Big Battery Boom

Jobs: two new jobs at Coal Action Network

Events to come

The Trial of Rio Tinto

5 April, 13:00 – 13:30, St James’s Square, London

Come and join us and XR activists for this mock trial as we hold Rio Tinto to account for its various crimes! We’ll be challenging the company’s image and bringing forwards expert witnesses to speak about the reality of life with Rio Tinto as a neighbour.

Public Event – Rio Tinto: Against People, Climate and Nature

5 April 2023, 18:00 – 20:30, Amnesty International, New Inn Yard, EC2A 3EA

Rio Tinto’s business harms people, our climate and the natural world. No matter how it tries to greenwash what it does or reframes its practices as being for the good of the climate, the fact remains that across the globe Rio Tinto has left a trail of harm and continues to do so. At this public event on the eve of Rio Tinto’s London AGM, we will hear testimony from activists and community representatives from Serbia, Madagascar and the USA. In each of these countries, Rio Tinto’s operations threaten to disrupt livelihoods, destroy ecosystems and further harm the global climate. It is essential to register for this event – please do so here.

Past events on video

LMN PEN skillshare

LMN education coordinator Kerima Mohideen recently gave a presentation for other educators specifically involved in Peace Education.

LMN Resisting Mining book club

Video of presentation and discussion on Conflict Minerals, Inc.

Take Action

Tell your MP: back a new law to protect forests and people

LMN supports the campaign for a new law to to hold businesses accountable. For too long, UK companies have been able to put profit over planet. Write to your MP now and ask them to take the Good Business Matters pledge. Help demand real commitment to protecting the environment, communities and workers.

UK Divest campaign on local authority pension funds

If you live in the UK, use the online tool to ask your local councillors to publicly support fossil free pensions.

News

1) Rio Tinto in the news

QMM Investor Briefing 2023

As part of our preparations for the Rio Tinto 2023 AGM, we present this briefing document from our friends at LMN member group Andrew Lees Trust and Publish What you Pay Madagascar.

US Forest Service to OK land swap for Rio’s Tinto’s Arizona copper mine before July

The US Forest Service plans to re-publish an environmental report before July that will set in motion a land swap between the US government and Rio Tinto, allowing the mining giant to develop the controversial Resolution Copper project in Arizona.

Rio Tinto has more work to do, cultural heritage audit finds

Rio Tinto has more work to do to protect Indigenous cultural heritage at its mines around the world, according to an independent audit of its practices, the world’s biggest iron ore miner said on Monday.

Guinea, partners resume Simandou infrastructure operations

Simandou is part-owned by Rio Tinto Group and Winning Consortium Simandou, which is backed by Chinese and Singaporean companies. Recent negotiations allowed China Baowu Steel Group to enter in the project so as to accelerate the financing.

China Minmetals chairman sees broad scope to co-operate with Rio Tinto

There are strong prospects for co-operation between China Minmetals and global miner Rio Tinto, the Chinese firm’s chairman, Weng Zuliang, said in a statement on the company’s website on Friday.

Rio Tinto Mining Company Pays $15 Million to Settle US Bribery Accusations

The Anglo-Australian mining company Rio Tinto agreed to pay a US$15 million penalty to settle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) the accusation that it had paid $10.5 million to a friend of former Guinean President Alpha Condé to retain globally important iron ore rights.

Rio downgrades Jabiluka, why won’t ERA?

The Mirarr Traditional Owners of the Ranger uranium mine and the Jabiluka mineral lease welcome Rio Tinto’s reporting of the Jabiluka uranium deposit. The world’s second-largest mining company, which owns over 86% of Energy Resources of Australia (ERA), will “no longer report a Mineral Resource for Jabiluka”. In addition to noting the opposition of the Mirarr Traditional Owners, Rio Tinto has acknowledged that the deposit does not currently have reasonable prospects of eventual economic extraction. It simply does not stack up.

NFLAs want to discover lessons from Western Australia Caesium-138 incident

Following news that a radioactive Caesium-138 capsule was lost whilst in transit in the deserts of Western Australia, the UK/Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities have written to mining conglomerate Rio Tinto, urging company officials to publish their findings on where fault for the loss lies and to fully recompense state authorities for the cost of the capsule’s recovery.

2) News about BHP

BHP potentially faces $44 billion bill in Brazil dam case

BHP Group is potentially facing a £36 billion ($44 billion) lawsuit in London over Brazil’s worst environmental disaster after the number of claimants more than tripled to 700,000, their lawyers said.

BHP eyes copper, nickel projects as it bypasses lithium

BHP Group Ltd said it remains committed to growing its portfolio of copper and nickel projects but is not interested in the lithium market, which it believes is well supplied.

New Hope says it’s looking at BHP coal assets

Australian coal miner New Hope Corp. says it will look at mines being jettisoned by BHP Group Ltd. and others as diversified producers move away from the fossil fuel.

3) Glencore in the news

Glencore CEO says his company is cheapest way to benefit from copper price boom

Glencore Plc boss Gary Nagle said his company is the cheapest way to buy exposure to a coming copper boom as he predicted a renewed spree of dealmaking in the mining industry.

Glencore unions across Latin America call for a just transition

Glencore unions in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru are calling on the multinational to engage in dialogue with workers and communities to ensure a just transition that respects labour and environmental rights.

Glencore ordered to pay $700 million by US judge in bribery case

Glencore Plc was ordered by a federal judge in New York to pay $700 million as a criminal punishment for a global bribery scheme orchestrated by the Swiss-based commodities trading and mining giant.

Glencore hit by fresh bribery-related lawsuit in the UK

Glencore is facing a fresh lawsuit in the UK related to alleged losses to shareholders resulting from the mining and commodities trader’s involvement in bribery.

4) Coal on trial in Wales: the right to choose a coal-free future

Welsh people are standing up to say they want to carve out a future that doesn’t carve up more of their land for coal mining, and don’t want Wales to fuel further climate chaos – the effects of which are already being felt there with flooding and storms.

5) Report: Decarbonize steelmaking

Financial institutions must end steelmaking’s reliance on coal.

6) OPSAL member denounces conflicts and consequences of lithium and copper megamining in the Salar de Atacama before a delegation of UK parliamentarians

The Indigenous farmer and member of OPSAL (the Plurinational Observatory of Andean Salt Flats, OPSAL), Rudecindo Espíndola, attended a meeting organized by the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Chile on March 9, to denounce to a delegation of parliamentarians from the United Kingdom the conflicts that the various lithium and copper mining projects – including British capital – have had in the Salar de Atacama.

7) UK to help Kazakh exports bypass Russia, seeks critical minerals

Britain will help Kazakhstan develop export routes bypassing Russia, British Foreign Minister James Cleverly said on a visit to the Central Asian nation on Saturday, where he also signed a memorandum on supplies of critical minerals.

8) Over 220 organizations call on Colombian government to withdraw from international investment treaties that enable million-dollar corporate claims

The groups urge the Colombian government to withdraw from treaties that enable transnational corporations to sue the country in tribunals designed to favour their interests.

9) Bauxite mining in Jamaica

Mining Injunction Should Spell the End of the Jamaican Bauxite Industry

On 20 January 2023, the Supreme Court of Jamaica granted an injunction against Noranda Jamaica Partners II and New Day Aluminum (Jamaica) Limited. This will end either the commencement or the continuation of mining of the lands by them under Special Mining Lease 173, and will remain in force until the claim brought by the residents is heard and determined. The hearing is set for November 2023.

Red Dirt – the Environmental Consequences of the Bauxite-Alumina Industry in Jamaica

Video of presentation by Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie, PhD. Chief Executive Officer, Jamaica Environment Trust, on the environmental and social problems associated with the 70 year old Bauxite-Alumina Industry in Jamaica, in particular the threat to the health and livelihoods of the people of Cockpit Country. Bauxite mining removes forest cover, blocks and pollutes waterways, displaces residents, threatens agricultural livelihoods and compromises air quality.

10) London Metal Exchange gets its nickel in a twist

Trafigura bought some LME ‘nickel’ that was just bags of stones

Trafigura Group, one of the world’s biggest metals traders, was among the companies that received bags of stones from a London Metal Exchange warehouse instead of the nickel briquettes they had paid for.

Column: The return of the London Metal Exchange’s nickel curse

The London Metal Exchange (LME) has discovered that some of its registered nickel is missing. Nine warrants, equivalent to 54 tonnes, have been declared invalid after being found to be “non-conformant with the contract specifications”, the LME said in a March 17 notice.

11) South Africa: NUM applies for court ban against Anglo American over health and safety laws

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, has applied for a court interdict to stop Anglo American’s attempts to move mineworkers from being regulated by the strict Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA, 1996).

12) Zambia: Civil Society believes government’s intention to make Kabwe a ‘green city’ can help address the toxic lead poison that has harmed residents for years

The Zambian government’s statement that it intends to make Kabwe a “green city” could offer an important opportunity to address the toxic lead that has been harming residents for decades, the Alliance for a Lead-Free Kabwe, a group of Zambian and international organizations, said. See also the Children of Kabwe website about the class action lawsuit against Anglo American South Africa for lead pollution at Kabwe.

13) “Lake Sevan and the city of Jermuk are in danger due to mining”: Armenian environmentalists

The license to operate the Amulsar gold mine belongs to the American-British company Lydian Armenia.

14) Deep Sea Mining

Lockheed Martin sells deep-sea mining firm to Norway’s Loke

Norway’s Loke Marine Minerals has acquired deep-sea mining firm UK Seabed Resources (UKSR) from US weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin, the companies said on Thursday as international rules governing seabed mining are hammered out.

The Metals Company seeking to clean up on deep sea mining

The Metals Company (TMC)’s recent announcement of a new strategic partnership throws a light on a web of insiders and nepotism within the world of the company.

15) Peru: Government management of mining projects faces new protests

Economy and Finance Minister Alex Contreras, speaking at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada mining conference in Toronto, stated that the government is seeking to improve the regulatory framework of the mining sector in order to reduce social conflict and provide more stability, to encourage new investment.

16) HSBC says greenwash risks have potential to impede market access

HSBC Holdings Plc is adding “greenwashing” to a list of risks it says have the potential to affect a bank’s access to capital markets.

17) Transition minerals and Labour Party policy development

London Mining Network made a submission to the UK Labour Party policy forum on the subject of transition minerals and supply chain justice.

18) The Right to Say No to mining

Putting rights first in the green transition

At the end of last month, environmental defenders from Ecuador, Portugal, Chile, Brazil, Indonesia, and Sweden came together in the European Parliament to speak about the environmental injustices being done to their communities and to call on the EU to put rights first in the green transition. With the EU’s plans for critical raw materials due to be published in mid-March and the Parliament in the process of defining their position on the new law on corporate due diligence, the stakes have never been higher, writes Ruby Silk.

The right to say no: a legal toolbox for communities affected by mining in the EU

All local communities affected by mining projects should have the right to have a say on whether mining activities will start or continue in their backyard. This belief in community involvement in political, economic, and environmental decision-making is epitomised in a Right to Say No (RTSN), which is the inalienable and collective right of a community to say no (or yes) to extractive projects on the territories/lands they are living within. Currently, there is no real ‘Right’ to Say No outside of iterations of the indigenous right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) — it is a right we are asserting, not something we can yet claim. This toolbox will elaborate on the rights local communities already have and those rights that still need to be recognised and enforced, to establish a Right to Say No.

19) The UK has a role to play in tackling illegal gold mining in Brazil

lllegal and destructive gold mining is growing on an alarming scale in Yanomami Indigenous Territory (TIY) in the Brazilian Amazon. CAFOD’s new report – based on research conducted by our partners, Hutukara Yanomami Association (HAY) and Socio-environmental Institute (ISA) – outlines the scale of human rights abuse faced by the Yanomami and Ye’kwana people. Ineffective regulation in Brazil allows the laundering of gold and the obscuring of its origins, and there is little accountability for gold buyers. Much illegal gold from Brazil finds its way onto international markets. Gold is traded in the UK and is found in products we use every day, including jewellery and electronics.

20) Extractive Commodity Trading Report 2023 finds no marked shift towards more responsible practices among companies assessed

The Report, produced by the World Resources Forum (WRF) and the Responsible Mining Foundation (RMF), uses public data (from the public domain or submitted by the companies) to assess 25 companies’ public disclosure and due diligence on corporate governance and risks of human rights abuses, illicit financial flows and environmental damage in their supply chains.

21) SOMO launches The Counter – a global help desk for activists challenging corporate power

Our friends at Dutch organisation SOMO are setting up a pro bono investigations unit to help activists counter corporate power! SOMO’s corporate research starts with ‘following the money’ and at The Counter we will dig into corporate and capital structures, ownership and investors, operations, finances, and governance to help build a file with evidence that can be used in an investigation, court case, or campaign. Transparency, truth, justice and remedy, is what we strive for at The Counter.

22) ‘Lead the Charge’ Campaign Launches with Scorecard Tracking Human Rights and Environmental Policy in the EV Supply Chain

A coalition of leading human rights, climate, and environmental organizations, including Cultural Survival and First Peoples Worldwide, has launched the global Lead The Charge campaign. The campaign encourages automakers to leverage the unprecedented opportunity offered by the electric vehicle (EV) transition to radically transform their supply chains to be equitable, sustainable, and 100% fossil free. It also raises awareness of the human and Indigenous Peoples’ rights, climate, and environmental impacts that occur throughout auto supply chains, focusing in particular on steel, aluminum, and batteries.

23) The Big Battery Boom

Electric vehicles (EVs) are widely seen as indispensable to combat the climate emergency. But the rising demand for batteries to power these vehicles threatens to lead us into a transport transition that is devastating for the environment and for the human rights of millions of people due to the massive surge in mining of the minerals needed for batteries.

Jobs: two new jobs at Coal Action Network

Job Title: Operations Administrator (Finance)

Salary: £31,200 pro rata FTE

Hours: 21 hours per week (3 days)

Place of work: Remote

Contract type: Permanent

Application closing date: Tuesday 4th April (midnight)

Interview date: Thursday 13th April

Start date (negotiable): 12th June

Job Title: Campaigner: Fossil Fuel Insurance (UK)

Salary: £31,200 pro rata FTE

Hours: 21 hours per week (3 days)

Place of work: Remote

Contract type: Permanent

Application closing date: Tuesday 18th April (midnight)

Interview date: Thursday 27th April

Start date (negotiable): 26th June