The circular economy of copper and the green transition

A lots of basic sustainable solutions to fight climate change – from renewable energy infrastructure to electric vehicles – depend on copper.

Metal by itself cannot be a solution, it is necessary to work on it extraction, transport and production are environmentally responsible and that clean energy technologies and the green transition are at the center of the copper value chain and society.

The lifespan of copper is infinite and has no final phase. Once mined, it can be recycled again and again without losing its properties, making copper crucial to building a circular economy. Report on International Energy Agency (IEA) titled “Clean Energy Advances After the Covit 19 Crisis Will Require Real Stocks of Critical Minerals,” shows that a significant amount of copper is used in many key renewable energy technologies, such as wind turbines, photovoltaic panels, electric vehicles and energy storage systems.

The circular economy can be linked to primary copper extraction in Panama through various strategies. First, it is essential to apply responsible mining practices and adopt cleaner technologies to reduce the environmental impact of mineral extraction. This can include reducing water use, efficient waste management and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Furthermore, the reuse and recycling of copper is important to reduce the demand for new resources and promote the circular economy, creating new businesses and jobs in the green economy. Secondary copper can also be produced by recycling scrap metal as well as finished products, and it has same performance properties but primary material. According to the ICA (International Copper Alliance), over the past decade, more than 30% of annual copper consumption has come from recycled sources, for roughly nearly 9 million tons per year, out of the 28 million tons per year that were consumed all over the world.

The production of recycled copper worldwide represents a significant saving in resources compared to its extraction in mines, namely 85% less electricity (100 million megawatts/hour). This energy saving means that the emission in 40 million tons of atmosphere annual CO2 emissions. Likewise, the extractive footprint and destruction of flora and fauna in areas of great biological diversity is reduced.

In Panama, public confrontation in terms of mineral extraction is evident and there is strong opposition to metal mining in the country. The protests, large in scale and scope, focused on issues such as corruption and environmental damage, with arguments such as the mining contract being of great benefit to the company, the international formation of partners (third countries), the expediency of approval, and that open pit mining destroys biological diversity, pollutes water and affects the indigenous communities of the Central American Corridor.

To address these issues, it is essential that the mining company works closely with local communities, environmental groups, chambers of commerce and the media to ensure that their operations are sustainable and beneficial to all stakeholders. This can include investing in cleaner technologies, solid and organic waste management, implementing responsible mining practices, and committing to copper recycling and reuse, among other actions.

In short, connecting the circular economy with primary copper extraction environment of public conflict This involves a careful balance between economic, environmental and social needs. It is a complex challenge, but with the right commitment, it is possible to achieve sustainable mining that also benefits the environment environment, local communitiesthe national economy and the green transition that we all strive for.