In 2015, Norges Bank Investment Management initiated a 3-year research project with the Columbia Water Centre at the University of Columbia to assess mining-related water and environmental risks and their financial implications.
The purpose of the project was to develop a set of tools and datasets to better understand how different sustainability factors influence profitability in the mining industry, with a focus on copper and gold mining.
The final findings of the project were presented at two workshops hosted by Norges Bank Investment Management in January 2018. The workshops brought together different groups of stakeholders, including mining companies, investors, NGOs, academics and international organisations.
The synthesis report has now been published by Columbia University. The data and models developed are open source (subject to restrictions from data providers). The project deliverables, including ten journal publications and seven white papers, are available on Columbia Water Centre’s website.