Australia mining at risk from climate change-fueled drought and heat

SYDNEY -- Climate change poses a "serious and growing" threat to the production of essential commodities around the globe, with critical mineral and vital metals mined in Australia facing increased exposure to high temperatures and droughts, according to a PwC report.

The consultancy studied the risks to nine commodities, including metals and food staples, posed by droughts and heatwaves that are forecast to increase in severity and frequency as global temperatures rise in response to increasing amounts of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.