With much ado, Rio Tinto exited coal in 2018. It therefore entered FY19 with a "fossil fuel-free portfolio", declaring itself "well-positioned to contribute to a low-carbon future". Chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques even told shareholders "our portfolio is differentiated from our industry peers, with a fundamentally changed exposure to environmental, social and governance risks".

Rio’s Australian assets then emitted 18.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in fiscal 2019, compared to BHP’s (7.8 million tonnes) and Glencore’s (7.6 million). Thus Rio’s fossil-fuel free emissions were more than double those of Australia’s largest coal producer and significantly greater than the combined emissions of its two largest (and fossil fuel-extracting) peers.