Lima, April 23, 2024. Former Minister of the Environment, Fabiola Muñoz, stated that the mining sector can help accelerate the energy transition. This was announced at the first conference of Road to proEXPLO, organized by the Peruvian Institute of Mining Engineers (IIMP).

“The mining sector transports personnel and could use electromobility. There is already research indicating that this technology is advancing, but how many are willing to implement it? Or the energy they use for their offices and all mining operations. There is an excellent opportunity to contribute and accelerate this process,” she said.

In this regard, she stated that climate change is not only an environmental issue, but also an economic discussion. “The major problems are linked together and we need to be successful in combating them all,” she said.

She also pointed out that one of the country's greatest challenges is to combat deforestation, which is mainly due to the advance of illegal mining. “If forestation or deforestation indicators are not stopped, we are going to run out of water. We have more than 50,000 hectares of forest that are lost every year in Peru,” she said.

Under this premise, Muñoz said that the loss of forests has a negative impact on climate change because it is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions. “The energy transition will be of no use if we don't stop deforestation,” she said.

Finally, she considered that the private sector can also fight illegal mining from the market. She pointed out that this illicit activity moves thanks to the purchase of heavy machinery, and companies could take measures in this regard by putting more filters on who sells this equipment.

“The formal mining sector has to play a more active role in combating illegal mining. It's not about grabbing a gun, you have to play within the economy and the market. We need the actors in the illegal sector to be isolated,” she concluded.