As our planet burns, the race to 'net zero emissions' is on to save the planet. And this path begins with underground ore.

Cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel, zinc, platinum group metals (PGMs) -- even lowly tin -- all of these and many more metals and minerals must be mined at a faster pace to save the planet from the flames of climate change that have been fanned by mining.

As I noted in part one of this series, mining is the "keystone" industry. Without it, gross domestic product (GDP) collapses, because the vast majority of goods and services that are produced -- including much of the stuff that is grown -- ultimately springs from an ore body.

This also means that the sector's carbon footprint extends far beyond the direct and indirect emissions that stem from mining activities. These are estimated to account for about 4% to 7% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

But that does not capture the whole picture. Coal, for example, is extracted and produced by mining and it accounts for about 40% of all direct emissions from fossil fuel usage.

Energy is responsible for close to three-quarters of GHG emissions. Electricity and heat generation are the...