Iron ore in Australia and the world: resources, production, sustainability, and future prospects

The aim of this chapter is to review the link between resources, technology, and changing environmental impacts over time as a basis for informing future research priorities in technology and resource governance models. Given that the iron ore sector has shown boom-bust cycles in the past, it is important to assess in detail the current state of Australia’s iron ore industry, especially in comparison to global trends and issues, with a view to ensuring the maximum long-term benefit for and from Australia’s mining sector. This chapter presents an assessment of Australia’s iron ore mineral resources, production trends, economic aspects, existing and future production challenges, and links these to sustainability aspects, especially environmental issues such as greenhouse gas emissions. The chapter therefore provides a sound basis for ongoing policy development to ensure that Australia can maintain and enhance the benefits that our iron ore resource endowment brings.