A member of Huancuire community holding copper in hands in Challhuahuacho, Peru

Transition minerals

Transition minerals are crucial for climate action. Their extraction must benefit citizens in the places where they are mined.

Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Chero for NRGI
Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Chero for NRGI

Minerals like cobalt, copper, lithium and nickel are essential for technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines and electric vehicles. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that meeting Paris Agreement climate goals will mean a quadrupling by 2040 of demand for such so-called “transition minerals.” For some, demand could even reach 30 times current levels by 2040. Improved governance of the mining of these commodities is therefore crucial.  

Better governance can help avoid delays and disruptions in the transition away from carbon-intensive technologies. It can also protect the well-being of producer countries from the negative social and environmental impacts of mining, and ensure that economic opportunities and benefits are shared fairly.​ 

In focus countries including Chile, DRC, Mexico, Peru, and Tanzania, NRGI analyzes opportunities and risks—including corruption risks—in the extraction of transition minerals. The organization also seeks to influence global standards and key policies related to their governance.    

Triple Win

Africa's transition minerals are critical to the world's move away from fossil fuels. But reforms are necessary if transition minerals are to benefit people and planet.

Explore the research

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