Climate Lobbying Overview: In 2020-21, Anglo American has expressed top-line support for climate action and the energy transition, but the company appears to support a sustained role for coal in the energy mix contrary to IPCC guidance. There is limited evidence of lobbying on specific policy in 2021, but Anglo American has also lobbied to weaken project approval regulation in Australia in 2019-20.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Anglo American appears supportive of climate action in its top-line messaging. In its 2021 Climate Change Report, published in October 2021, Anglo American supported the need to limit global warming to "well below" 2°C in line with the Paris Agreement. In a December 2021 speech at the Mines and Money Conference, CEO Mark Cutifani supported emissions reductions in line with 1.5°C and net zero by 2050. Anglo American’s Industry Association Audit, published in April 2021, also stated the company’s support for the Paris Agreement, and supported the development of “effective and efficient policies” to respond to climate change. However, Anglo American appears to favor market-based measures such as carbon pricing over other forms of regulation.

Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Anglo American appears to have limited transparency regarding its engagement on specific climate-related policies. However, the company has engaged on Australia’s federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) in recent years. In 2019-2020, the company lobbied to weaken the EPBC Act’s regulation of project approvals for fossil fuel projects in Australia. In a 2020 consultation, Anglo American stated that it has contributed to, and supports the submissions of the Minerals Council of Australia and Queensland Resources Council, which advocated to exclude greenhouse gas emissions requirements from the legislation. In response to 2019 and 2020 consultations by the Australian government, Anglo American also advocated to repeal Section 487 of the EPBC Act, which extends special legal privileges to environmental groups to challenge federal project approvals.

Positioning on Energy Transition: Anglo American does not appear to support a transition away from fossil fuels in line with IPCC guidance, despite apparent top-line support for the transition to a low-carbon economy in its 2021 Climate Change Report. In its 2021 Industry Association Audit and 2020 Sustainability Report, also published in 2021, Anglo American appeared to support a sustained role for coal in the energy mix without reference to the need for CCS, emphasizing its importance to energy security and poverty alleviation. In April 2019, the company also stated that there is a “contemporary role” for coal in the global energy mix until 2030 in developed countries and 2050 in developing countries.

In 2020-21, Anglo American has also consistently supported the decarbonization of the energy mix via green hydrogen production. In a January 2022 tweet, the company supported green hydrogen production in Australia. In an October 2021 press release, Anglo American supported the development of green hydrogen in South Africa. In its 2020 Annual Report, published in February 2021, the company appeared to support green hydrogen and its importance to the electrification of transport. In an April 2021 UK consultation response on zero-emission vehicles, Anglo American directly advocated for policy support for blue hydrogen produced with natural gas and CCS, alongside green hydrogen.

Industry Association Governance: Anglo American discloses its industry association memberships and has published two reviews of the company’s alignment with their positions on climate change, in 2019 and 2021. In its 2021 review, the company does not appear to identify any cases of misalignment, although outlined its engagement with the Queensland Resources Council which has engaged negatively on climate policy in Australia. Anglo American also retains memberships to more industry associations lobbying counter to the goals of the Paris Agreement, including the Minerals Council of Australia, World Coal Association and Eurometaux.

A detailed assessment of the company's industry association review can be found on our CA100+ webpage here.