Mining's top ten ESG trends for 2026 show shifting risks.

Geopolitics, climate impacts and a rush for critical minerals are reshaping mining's ESG priorities in 2026, while regulators, investors and communities increase scrutiny of reporting, governance and value chains.

Mining in 2026 is being reshaped by a volatile global order, intensifying climate extremes, and an accelerating race for critical minerals. Geopolitics, investor expectations and social tensions are converging on mines and supply chains, and ESG remains politically contested in some places. Regulators, lenders and investors are moving toward more prescriptive reporting and enforcement, while industry groups set new standards for areas such as tailings and nature. The sector’s emphasis is shifting from broad commitments to material, data-driven management of resilience, capital access and licence to operate. Key developments: - Geopolitics is rising as a primary sector risk, with export controls, investment screening and friend-shoring affecting supply chains and elevating board-level risk considerations. - Climate, nature and water risks are already affecting operations and disclosures, with new standards (including IFRS S2 and GRI 14) and insurer and lender scrutiny noted. - The rush for critical minerals is intensifying social and security tensions; the article cites documented allegations of abuse linked to major operations and references legal rulings that reinforce Indigenous consultation obligations. - Governance and reporting pressures are increasing: AI governance gaps, stronger tailings expectations, and converging disclosure regimes (CSRD, CSDDD, IFRS S1/S2) are prompting greater enforcement and assurance activity. Summary: These trends concentrate regulatory, financial and reputational attention on a few material areas—geopolitics, climate and nature resilience, social impacts from critical minerals, and stronger governance and reporting. Enforcement and disclosure convergence are expected to remain important influences on access to capital, permitting and stakeholder trust. Undetermined at this time.