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Critical Minerals And The Rule Of Law: Governing Resource Conflicts In The Global Energy Transition

The global shift towards less-carbon and renewable energy is customarily distinguish as a change away from fossil fuel. This description, although is partially correct but remains incomplete without taking into consideration the substitute used for the transition. The embryonic energy system in the same breath is becoming progressively dependent upon different category of natural resources: critical minerals. Solar photovoltaic systems, wind turbines, electric vehicles, electricity networks, batteries and other clean-energy technologies requiring a considerable size and value of minerals including lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, copper and rare earth elements. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has described this sense of change as a movement from a relatively fuel-intensive energy system towards a more material-intensive one. An electric vehicle, demand significantly huge amount of mineral inputs than conventional vehicles, and renewable electricity technologies also insist for substantial quantities of minerals.the expanded clean-energy situations, request for several minerals is projected to increase dramatically. Lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and rare earth elements therefore has gained significant extend over traditional mining and commodity markets. They are continuously linked with national security, industrial policy, sovereignty in technology and geopolitical contest.