Green metals, grey rights: can the clean-energy transition escape old injustices

Green metals, grey rights: can the clean-energy transition escape old injustices | Photo: Bart van Dijk

As the world accelerates towards a low-carbon future, the scramble for transition minerals is revealing a troubling paradox. The very materials that power clean energy technologies, lithium for batteries, cobalt for electric vehicles, copper for grids, and rare earths for turbines, are being mined under conditions that risk repeating the extractive injustices of the fossil-fuel era.

More than 200 civil society organisations have issued an open call to embed mineral governance in the COP30 climate negotiations, urging that the green transition must not come at the expense of communities, ecosystems, or basic human rights. Their proposal, the Belém Action Mechanism (BAM), seeks to make equity, transparency and benefit-sharing core to climate diplomacy, not side notes.

The hidden burden of green progress

Global demand for these minerals is set to quadruple by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency, as electric-vehicle sales surge and renewable infrastructure expands. Yet this boom has intensified conflicts over land, water, and labour. Roughly 70 per cent of transition-mineral reserves lie on Indigenous territories, many already scarred by environmental degradation and social tension.

From the copper belts of Zambia to lithium salt flats in South America, communities face displacement, pollution, and rising violence against land defenders. A recent Forests & Finance report found that nearly 70 per cent of transition-mineral mines financed globally are located on Indigenous or peasant lands, while most financiers lack robust environmental, social, and governance (ESG) safeguards.

The “pit-to-port” model, where mineral-rich countries export raw ores and import manufactured goods, remains entrenched. The resulting value imbalance mirrors older colonial trade patterns, with local economies absorbing the environmental risks but capturing minimal benefit.

Beyond extraction: a just value chain

Advocates argue that a fair transition requires rethinking consumption and production patterns, especially in wealthier nations. Demand reduction, circular economy models, and stronger recycling systems could lessen pressure on new mining. The call from civil society is clear: without transforming the political economy of minerals, the world risks building a cleaner yet still unjust future.

This aligns closely with SDG 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production, as well as SDG 7 on Clean Energy. Reducing material intensity, protecting Indigenous rights, and creating local industrial opportunities are not optional extras but the foundations of a sustainable transition.

Finance, accountability and the next frontier of climate governance

The push to recognise mineral governance in the UN climate framework is unprecedented. If adopted at COP30, the proposed Belém Action Mechanism could formalise a new layer of accountability, linking climate ambition to responsible sourcing, fair trade, and community benefit. Whether governments will embrace such binding measures remains uncertain, but the pressure is mounting.

Financial institutions are also under scrutiny. The same global banks and asset managers that once financed fossil expansion are now fuelling a new mineral rush, often with opaque oversight. Civil society warns that unless transition-mineral finance meets strict social and environmental standards, the energy shift could entrench inequalities rather than dismantle them.

Towards a fair transition

A just energy transition cannot be measured solely in tonnes of carbon avoided. It must also be judged by how fairly the costs and benefits are shared across borders and generations. As one advocate put it, “The minerals powering the green revolution must not be mined through the same logic that created the climate crisis.”

The path forward demands collaboration between producing and consuming nations, stronger trade and investment rules, and investment in community-led value chains. Achieving climate goals while upholding human dignity is not only possible but essential for lasting legitimacy.

For further reading on these emerging efforts, see the Natural Resource Governance Institute’s analysis and the Climate Action Network’s civil society recommendations, which outline principles for a truly equitable mineral transition.