A new Wild West for ‘critical’ or ‘transition’ minerals

The transition from fossil to renewable power will require vast quantities of minerals like cobalt and lithium; the scramble to extract these elements has already damaged the environment, ended many lives and threatened local and indigenous land rights in, for example, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Argentina and Chile.

Land and ocean ecosystems face further harm if new mining activity is not regulated effectively – potentially setting back the fight against climate change. 

Corruption, predatory behaviour by foreign investors and the demands of consumers have combined to create systems that are deeply unfair to the people who live on mineral-rich land, and the workers who mine it.  Failing to ensure mining works for everyone can disrupt operations, so avoiding community discontent makes good business sense.

If markets are developed to benefit supplier countries and their peoples, in line with the UN’s new guidelines on mining, the so-called green transition will be smoother and more inclusive.