Mining justice and the clean energy transition
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We must urgently transition to a 100% renewable energy economy Renewable energy technologies, especially EV batteries, require a lot of minerals We can’t replicate one form of dirty extraction with another This must be an opportunity moment – to not only transition to a low-carbon economy but also a more sustainable materials economy
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Mining justice and the clean energy transition
- 1. MINING JUSTICE AND THE CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION Payal Sampat, Earthworks psampat@earthworksaction.org twitter: @payalsampat and @earthworks https://earthworks.org/mcec Protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral & energy development while promoting sustainable solutions www.earthworks.org
- 2. • We must urgently transition to a 100% renewable energy economy • Renewable energy technologies, especially EV batteries, require a lot of minerals • We can’t replicate one form of dirty extraction with another • This must be be an opportunity moment – to not only transition to a low-carbon economy but also a more sustainable materials economy Protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral & energy development while promoting sustainable solutions www.earthworks.org Nornickel mine and refinery, Russian Arctic, built on the homelands of the Taimyr Indigenous Peoples CLEAN ENERGY CANNOT BE BUILT ON DIRTY MINING
- 3. KEY METALS FOR CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES Protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral & energy development while promoting sustainable solutions www.earthworks.org Source: University of Technology, Sydney for Earthworks
- 4. Minerals Demand Projections for Battery and Renewables Technologies Under 100% Scenarios Protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral & energy development while promoting sustainable solutions www.earthworks.org
- 5. MINING IS A THREAT TO COMMUNITIES, CLIMATE AND ECOSYSTEMS • The “critical minerals” narrative is used as justification to expand mining across the US to the salt flats of Argentina and Chile to the rainforests of Indonesia and DRC – and even the depths of the ocean, through proposed deep seabed mining. • Potential impacts of increased minerals demand poised to grow – imperiling rights, ecosystems, communities and climate: • Carbon-intensity - metals mining is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions • Massive production of toxic waste and deadly tailings disasters such as in Brazil and Canada in recent years • Disproportionate harm to Indigenous communities Protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral & energy development while promoting sustainable solutions www.earthworks.org Brumadinho, Brazil, 2019 mine tailings disaster which killed 300 people
- 6. DISPROPORTIONATE HARM TO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral & energy development while promoting sustainable solutions www.earthworks.org
- 7. • Potential large increases in demand for metals that have only been mined in small amounts previously and where renewable energy, especially batteries, is a large share of demand (lithium, cobalt, rare earths) • These metals are most likely to see largest increases in production and new mines as Protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral & energy development while promoting sustainable solutions www.earthworks.org KEY FINDINGS OF UTS RESEARCH
- 8. Protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral & energy development while promoting sustainable solutions www.earthworks.org Source: University of Technology, Sydney “Reducing new mining for EV Battery Metals” (2021 IMPACT OF RECYCLING ON REDUCING PRIMARY METAL DEMAND • 25% for lithium • 35% for cobalt and nickel • 55% for copper
- 9. PATHWAYS FORWARD Policy interventions to boost recycling and minimize toxicity • Policy interventions to encourage metals recovery and recycling and remove barriers that tilt the balance in favour of new extraction e.g. new EU battery law • Mandating recycled content • Extending battery life and repurposing end-of-life batteries • Product take-back requirements, design for disassembly, and standardization of battery technologies • Prioritize health and safety for workers and communities to ensure no new sacrifice zones, ecosystem harm or injustices • R&D advances in battery technologies – changing chemistries and reducing mineral content Protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral & energy development while promoting sustainable solutions www.earthworks.org
- 10. PATHWAYS FORWARD • Demand-side Shifts in Consumption and Transportation • Transformative shifts: rethink how we consume products and transport goods and people • Prioritize investments in electric- powered public transit and bike transit infrastructure • Equity in access to benefits of clean energy and transit Protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral & energy development while promoting sustainable solutions www.earthworks.org Bike share, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- 11. PATHWAYS FORWARD • High standards and binding rules to rein in mining impacts • Alignment in messaging and asks • Declaration on Mining and Energy Transition – endorsed by 175 orgs in advance of COP26, being re-released at COP27 on Nov 15 • Solidarity with frontline communities and networks • Center FPIC: SIRGE Coalition • Supply chain campaigns: EV sector aware of the minerals supply chain issues and responsive to demands Protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral & energy development while promoting sustainable solutions www.earthworks.org Gennady Schutkin, Dolgan People, Taimyr Peninsula, Russian Arctic
- 12. MAKING CLEAN ENERGY CLEAN, JUST & EQUITABLE Payal Sampat, Earthworks psampat@earthworksaction.org twitter: @payalsampat and @earthworks https://earthworks.org/mcec Alaskan wild salmon imperiled by proposed Pebble mine Protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral & energy development while promoting sustainable solutions www.earthworks.org
Editor's Notes
- The majority of U.S. reserves and operating and proposed cobalt, copper, lithium and nickel mines are located within 35 miles of Native American reservations.