Conversations on the importance of critical minerals to a just energy transition have gained momentum at the UN Cop 30 climate summit, a delegate told Argus.
The UK has proposed a draft text to include critical minerals — such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements — in the supply chain of a just energy transition, Melissa Marengo, a senior program officer at New York-based environmental group Natural Resource Governance Institute, said. The text has been backed so far by the EU, Australia and a plethora of African nations. Tanzania stands out as a champion on the topic, she said.
Mention of critical minerals and recommendations around their sustainable development in a Cop outcome could mark the "change of a paradigm" in how the world uses critical minerals, Marengo said.
"Everyone knows we will need to set rules [to] access critical minerals", she added. A UN-convened panel last year outlined principles and recommendations on a sustainable and equitable critical minerals industry.
Zimbabwe, Africa's top lithium producer, included minerals governance in its national position for Cop 30. South Africa, Uganda, and Burkina Faso — speaking on behalf of the group of least developed countries — echoed the call to integrate minerals into just transition discussions and the Cop 30 outcome. Brazil has also said it supports transparency, combatting illegal mining and corruption and protections for human rights and the environment.
Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had already set the stage for the conversations at last week's world leaders' summit, held just ahead of Cop 30. "We cannot discuss the energy transition without addressing critical minerals, which are essential for the production of batteries, solar panels, and energy systems", he said during a session on energy transition during the leaders' climate summit.
Although the interest from developed ‘Global North' countries certainly stems from economic interests, having them mention the topic in the first days of Cop 30 is a win and "shows the minerals issue is now on track to be reflected in Cop 30 outcomes", Marengo said.
Other countries, including Chile and Colombia, have been working on this topic in parallel to Cop 30. Chile is the world's foremost copper producer and the second-biggest lithium producer. Colombia plans to call for a global accountability framework on mining impacts.
China, a key producer of solar panels and batteries, has not made any formal comments on the topic yet at Cop 30 but has been taking informal meetings in the matter, Marengo said. China is "the dominant refiner" for most critical minerals, "holding an average market share of around 70pc", energy watchdog the IEA said in May.
China is more focused on the phase out of fossil fuels, one of the more prominent topics at Cop 30, Marengo said. And getting China on board of a text mentioning critical minerals might not be an easy task, she added, given its manufacturing industries.
But she hopes any final text will include the UN guidelines. "It sets the very minimum considerations that should be taken when you want to extract minerals", she said.
