Scored evidence collected on an entity's engagement with land-use and circular economy policy will now be fully weighted into the final calculations for each entity's metrics. This follows a two year process where InfluenceMap has evolved its methodology to collect evidence on corporate and industry engagement with these key areas of climate-related policy.
We have strengthened the algorithm for discounting the impact older evidence on an organization's top-line metrics. Evidence from within the last two years is weighted the strongest and then gradually weighted out of the scoring calculations as it gets older. All evidence that is 5 years or older is completely removed from the scoring calculations. Users will still be able to view older evidence items that are archived the scoring matrix below, but these will not be impacting the organization's current scores.
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) is strategically engaged on climate policy and displays largely negative positions. The association demonstrates positive top-line messaging on climate policy, yet has engaged in oppositional advocacy on a number of specific climate-related regulations, including the Safeguard Mechanism Reforms. MCA adopt a mix of negative and positive positions on the energy transition, promoting a continued role for fossil fuels while also supporting an increase in renewables and other low-emissions technologies.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: MCA demonstrates broadly positive top-line messaging on climate policy, with some qualifications. The association supported the mining industry’s sector-based target to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 in a February 2023 consultation submission and also supported the goals of the Paris Agreement in its 2023 Climate Action Plan Progress Report, published in September 2023. While MCA appears to support certain forms of climate policy, it frequently qualifies this support for regulations by emphasizing the need for climate policies to be measured and not compromise industry competitiveness. For example, in a July 2023 consultation submission, MCA stated that policy must proceed “carefully” to avoid adverse impacts on international competitiveness, and also appeared to be unsupportive of state-based policy, stressing issues of regulatory duplication.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: The MCA appears to engage with mostly negative positions on climate-related policy. The association appeared to support reforms to Australia’s Safeguard Mechanism with major exceptions that risk undermining the climate ambition of the policy in September 2022, October 2022 and February 2023 consultations submissions. For example, the MCA suggested that baseline decline rates should align with the availability of technological solutions, appeared unsupportive of the removal of all headroom from the policy, and appeared to call for a lower price cap on Australian Carbon Credit Units. However, the association did appear to issue some support for the introduction of a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism in its February 2023 submission on the reforms
In addition, the MCA appears to adopt inconsistent positions on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions regulation. While the MCA appeared to support the legislation of Australia’s 2030 GHG emissions target in an October 2022 consultation submission, in the same submission it went on to oppose the introduction of a climate trigger in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. The association also appeared to support GHG targets with major exceptions in a July 2023 submission to the Climate Change Authority, advocating for GHG targets to be “aligned with the expected commercial availability of technology solutions”, while emphasizing the risk of carbon leakage. The MCA also appeared to adopt a negative position on Australia’s Guarantee of Origin Scheme in a February 2023 consultation submission, advocating for the scheme to pursue a “technology neutral” approach and to not take into account hydrogen production methods.
Positioning on Energy Transition: The MCA adopts a mix of negative and positive positions on the energy transition, advocating a sustained role for fossil fuels in the energy mix while also supporting an increase in renewables and other low-emissions technologies. In its January 2023 Pre-Budget submission, the MCA appeared to support a continued role for coal and fossil gas in the energy mix, alongside renewables, uranium and hydrogen, without clearly specifying the need to reduce the role of fossil fuels in line with IPCC timelines. The MCA also advocated for metallurgical coal to be included in Australia’s critical minerals list in an August 2023 consultation submission. MCA CEO, Tania Constable, likewise appeared to advocate in favor of fossil fuel subsidies in a February 2023 press release, advocating for the Australian government to rule out abolishing the Fuel Tax Credit.
In contrast to this negative advocacy, the MCA supported an increase in renewables and other zero-carbon energy technologies in the energy mix, including the rapid scale-up of electric vehicles, in its September 2023 Future Critical: Meeting the minerals investment challenge report. CEO, Tania Constable, also stated support for “clean hydrogen and ammonia” in the MCA’s February 2023 report, Australia’s Emerging Hydrogen and Ammonia Industry, however it is unclear to the extent to which this excludes all unabated fossil fuel production. In recent years the MCA has also advocated for an increased role for nuclear in the energy mix, for example in a February 2023 Public Hearing. However, it is unclear or ambiguous as to how it sees the role of nuclear with regards to a full transition towards a zero-emission energy system.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the industry association's scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q1 2024.