Mining activity sparks both fantasies and, at times, criticism, particularly among funders and traditional international cooperation actors. By its very nature, any extractive activity is unsustainable, as it involves selling a product—whether processed or not—whose stock is inevitably destined to be depleted.
However, our planet is currently experiencing a period in which achieving climate sustainability—meaning halting global warming—requires a significant increase in the extraction of so-called critical minerals essential for the transition to renewable energy. In other words, sustainability will necessarily rely on unsustainability, and renewable energy on mineral resources that are, by definition, non-renewable.
The publication of this report is intended as an exercise in clarity: first, by refusing to ignore the challenges associated with securing critical minerals for the energy transition; and second, by rejecting any naïve or idealized perspective, given that the extractive sector carries greater risks than many other economic activities.
