Mining
A Year’s Worth of Resources in British Columbia
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A Year’s Worth of Resources in British Columbia
Earlier this month, we created a slideshow visualizing the amount of metal and oil extracted globally with famous landmarks and cities.
We’ve received numerous requests from folks in our hometown of Vancouver, BC to show how much resources are extracted in British Columbia. As you can see in the above slideshow, we have covered gold, silver, zinc, molybdenum, copper, lead, metallurgical coal, and even wood products.
It surprises many British Columbians that one of the most valuable resources is met coal, which is not used for power generation but to produce steel. Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, and the carbon comes from the metallurgical coal. In fact, 70% of steel worldwide is made this way.
Also surprising is that less than 1m cubed of gold is produced in BC each year. This may change soon with some of the many projects that may eventually go into production, but for now it remains quite low and rare in BC.
To us, one thing is clear: BC is a beautiful and resource-rich province. We at Visual Capitalist hope that companies learn from the tragic events of Mt. Polley this summer and are able to start building and maintaining mining projects that far exceed expectations for safety and environmental stewardship.
Special kudos to PwC for providing most of the information in their latest Digging Deeper report. (Note: some cube sizes were estimated in size based on value of commodity shipped and avg. 2013 commodity prices)
Mining
Visualizing Mining’s Footprint in British Columbia
Mining represents 7% of British Columbia’s GDP despite only accounting for 0.04% of the land use.
Visualizing Mining’s Footprint in British Columbia
British Columbia is considered a global leader in the development of socially and environmentally responsible resources.
An estimated 54% of the province’s total land is protected, making it one of the world’s greenest mining hubs.
This graphic by the B.C. Regional Mining Alliance (BCRMA) details mining’s footprint in the province.
A Tier 1 Jurisdiction for Mining
British Columbia covers almost 95 million hectares (234 million acres), more than any European country except Russia, and more than any U.S. state except Alaska.
As the largest mining province in Canada, BC registered $18 billion in revenue from the industry in 2022.
British Columbia stands as Canada’s sole producer of molybdenum, which finds applications in metallurgy and chemistry. Additionally, B.C. is the country’s leader producer of copper and steelmaking coal, besides gold and silver.
At the heart of British Columbia’s mining industry lies the Golden Triangle, one of the hottest mineral exploration districts in the world.
More than 150 mines have operated in the area since prospectors first arrived at the end of the 19th century. The region alone is endowed with minerals worth more than $800 billion.
How Green is B.C. Mining
Mining represents 7% of the province’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), despite only accounting for 0.04% of the land use. In comparison, farmland demands 3% of the land, bringing $2.1 billion (0.8%) per year.
| Land Use in B.C. | Revenue (2022, CAD $) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mining | 0.04% | $18.0 billion |
| Oil & Gas | 0.4% | $9.5 billion |
| Infrastructure | 1% | $25.0 billion |
| Farmland | 3% | $2.1 billion |
| Forest | 62% | $13.3 billion |
Mining operations are also supported by a stable, transparent, and effective policy environment. The province ranked as the world’s least risky for mining in 2017 and 2018.
In addition, mineral exploration has received ample support from local Indigenous communities. Today, mining accounts for over two-thirds of all indigenous people employed in the extractives sector.
According to the International Energy Agency, up to six times more minerals and metals will be needed by 2040 to accelerate the energy transition.
In this scenario, British Columbia is well positioned to support the transition to a low-carbon future and make a significant contribution to climate action.
The BCRMA is a strategic partnership between indigenous groups, industry, and government representatives that aims to promote B.C.’s mining opportunities internationally.
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