Co-Host Plenary Session - Polycrisis in the Critical Minerals Supply Chain

Co-hosted by Sydney Environment Institute

Speakers from SEI will be featured in this plenary session exploring the complex implications of mining critical minerals for the global energy transition. As demand for minerals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel grows, so do the ecological, social, and political challenges tied to their extraction.

Co-hosted by the Sydney Environment Institute and the 2024 Earth System Governance (ESG) Forum, this plenary session will explore the far-reaching implications of mining critical minerals for the global energy transition. As the demand for renewable energy sources rises, so too does the need for critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel, which are essential for technologies such as batteries and wind turbines. But this increased demand comes with complex challenges that span across ecological, social, and political dimensions.

In this session, we will explore what mining these minerals means for local communities, ecosystems and global governance structures. How can we balance the urgent need for renewable energy with the protection of ecosystems and the well-being of people? How can governance frameworks adapt to address the emerging "polycrisis"—the interconnected global challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, and more?

Join us for an engaging discussion that aims to re-imagine governance solutions in an era marked by compounding crises.