Dr. Jacques Wiertz, researcher at SMI Chile, was one of the experts interviewed in a feature published by the specialised media outlet Reporte Minero, entitled “Tailings and water: the new challenges of mining management in the face of climate change”.
The article explores how declining precipitation and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events are placing pressure on the mining industry to integrate tailings and water management as a key pillar for operational safety and water resilience.
In a context marked by reduced rainfall and more frequent extreme climatic events, mining faces the challenge of advancing towards an integrated approach to tailings and water management. Today, water resources have become a critical variable for operational safety, water resilience and climate change adaptation, in an industry that generates hundreds of millions of tonnes of tailings each year.
Tailings management can no longer be addressed solely from the perspective of the physical stability of storage facilities. Current approaches require the incorporation of variables such as water availability, recirculation, operational efficiency and increasingly stringent environmental standards, within a context of heightened technical and regulatory scrutiny.
Watch the full feature in the video below:
