Climate change is occurring and is largely caused by human activities, miner Rio Tinto's head of coal in Australia, Bill Champion told a Brisbane conference this morning.

In a speech on sustainable development and mining, Mr Champion said the "scale of the necessary emissions reductions and the need for adaptation, coupled with the world's increasing requirements for secure, affordable energy, create large challenges which require worldwide attention".

Rio Tinto has factored a carbon price into its investment decision-making for the past 10 years, Mr Champion said.

"We support a coordinated global approach to reduce emissions. Until that is in place, as well as after, we recognise that it will be necessary for individual jurisdictions to take actions.

"We recognise the value of action on climate change.