Net Zero is Impossible Without Africa’s Transition Minerals

This month, cinemagoers will flock to see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, seeking thrills from superheroes in the fictional African country which is rich in a world-saving metal vibranium. Meanwhile, in the real Africa, world leaders have flocked to the COP27 climate conference in Egypt, aiming for progress on agreed emissions reductions.

While the top brass at COP are surely too busy to catch a movie, the return of the Black Panther should remind them that African mining is highly relevant to their goals: buried in the soil of the host continent are the metals critical to moving away from humanity’s reliance on fossil fuels.

The main task of world leaders and climate negotiators in Egypt is to secure the path to emissions reductions. Yet they’re paying scant attention to the metals needed to move away from high-emitting fossil fuels...