Eleonore Lebre, Karol Czarnota, Stuart Duncan Christopher Walsh, Marcus Haynes, Natasha Ufer, Laura Sonter, Rachakonda Sreekar, Pascal Bolz, Nevenka Bulovic, Claire Cote, Nadja Kunz, Steven Micklethwaite, Stephen Northey, Louisa Rochford, Richard Schodde, Benjamin Seligmann, Kathryn Sturman

The global energy transition will drive increased demand for a broad range of mined minerals.40
Australia is well positioned to support the global energy transition, given its mature mining sector41
and rich and diverse mineral resources. The potential growth in the mining sector represents an42
economic opportunity, however, navigating the associated environmental, social, and governance43
(ESG) risks remains a challenge. A step towards improved ESG credentials across the Australian44
mining sector is for mine developers, regulators, communities, investors and other industry45
stakeholders to be capable of integrating diverse types of ESG data into decision-making processes.46
This paper evaluates how ESG mapping, a research technique that mobilises spatial data to analyse47
and compare extractive locations across large scales in terms of factors relevant to mining and48
exploration, can be applied at the scale of Australia. The paper critically reviews 32 spatial ESG49
datasets available at national scale across six main themes: people, land uses, water resources,50
extreme events, nature conservation, and governance. The paper then provides two proof-of-51
concept applications of ESG mapping to the Australian mining context and draws on these52
applications to lay out a path forward for this technique to inform decision makers