ESG mapping of the Australian mining sector – The state of play on mobilising spatial datasets for decision making

E. Lèbre, K. Czarnota, S.D.C. Walsh, M.Haynes, N.Ufer, L.J. Sonter, R. Sreekar, P. Bolz, N. Bulovic, C. Côte, N.C. Kunz, S. Micklethwaite, S. A. Northey, L.M. Rochford, R. Schodde, B. Seligmann, K. Sturman (2025), Resources Policy, Volume 105, 2025

This Paper is available on Open Access from ScienceDirect. A copy can be downloaded using the following link … https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301420725001345

This paper establishes the foundations for applying ESG mapping, a research technique that mobilises spatial data to analyse and compare extractive locations in terms of factors relevant to mining and exploration, at the scale of Australia. To do so, the paper first critically reviews 33 spatial ESG datasets available at national scale across six main themes: people, land uses, water resources, extreme events, nature conservation, and governance.

The paper then provides two proof-of-concept applications of ESG mapping to the Australian mining context and draws on these preliminary applications to propose a program of research aiming to fully utilise this technique to inform decision makers.