The United Nations has launched a new body to develop mining guidelines for critical minerals in high demand for electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies.
The newly formed Committee for Critical Minerals in the Energy Transition includes representatives from nearly 100 countries as well as non-profit organizations and industry groups. Its mission is to “develop a set of global common and voluntary principles to protect environmental and social standards and anchor justice.” [in] the energy transition.”
Providing an economy with renewable energy is a mineral-intensive undertaking. And concerted efforts are needed to curb human rights abuses and environmental damage associated with the extraction of these minerals. This is just a first step in tackling a problem that could become much larger without guardrails.
Providing an economy with renewable energy is a mineral-intensive undertaking
Demand for minerals used in renewable energy technologies is expected to almost quadruple by 2030. These include lithium, cobalt and copper, which are used in electric vehicle batteries and wind and solar systems. According to the International Energy Agency, building an electric vehicle requires about six times as much mineral resources as making a gas-guzzling car, and an onshore wind turbine requires up to nine times more minerals than a gas-powered system.
The supply chains for these minerals are already rife with allegations of human rights, labor and environmental violations. A supplier of Tesla battery materials has made at least 70 allegations of abuse since 2010. The edge reported last year. This included poor working conditions at a cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where workers reported The edge They had to work for hours in oppressive heat, with little water, food or wages.
The United Nations’ ability to change things is limited. While advocates from environmental groups and indigenous peoples affected by mining have some seats at the table, the policies are also shaped by industry representatives on the panel. A member of the body is the International Council on Mining and Metals, which represents a third of the global metals and mining industry.
And at the end of the day, the panel only makes non-binding recommendations for best practices. “The fact that these are voluntary policies only means that there will be no enforcement mechanism for the policies developed. Ultimately, voluntary policies are only as good as those willing to commit to them,” said Laura Kelly, director of sustainable market research at the think tank International Institute for Environment and Development The guard.
The UN body is expected to submit draft voluntary guidelines to the United Nations General Assembly in September.
“A world powered by renewable energy is a world hungry for critical minerals,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at the opening of the new body on Friday. “The renewable energy revolution is underway – but we must lead it towards equity.”