Rio Tinto's warning to mining lobby groups that they have to acknowledge the threat of climate change is likely a sign that the industry will inevitably fracture into two camps.
Opponents to mining projects in South Africa are often harassed, threatened and sometimes even killed, according to a report by a group of human rights advocates including Human Rights Watch.
The company has taken a step closer to the construction of the Carmichael coal mine in Australia after winning federal approval for its groundwater management plan.