The EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act came into force on 23 May, marking the bloc’s largest attempt to secure its own source of materials needed for the green transition.
Lithium extraction in Bolivia poses more than environmental questions: It illustrates how notions about ‘raw materials’ can be at odds with Indigenous relations with the land.
Europe recycles 70% of its steel, but much is exported, turning what should be a circular process into a linear one. Instead, materials need to be circularity-ready the moment they’re manufactured.
On March 1, Donald Trump imposed a series of steel and aluminum tariffs. To understand their potential impact, it’s instructive to look at what happened after George W. Bush enacted similar measures in 2002.
The world’s landfills are growing, which has prompted the search for new industrial processes that can use everyday waste items in some surprising ways.
Herryman Moono, London School of Economics and Political Science
Zambia’s drive to build its industrial capabilities has made steady progress. But it runs up against the history of economies that are dominated by mineral resources and landlocked countries.
We are now looking forward to a low-carbon society where fossil fuels are at least partially replaced with renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind, geo-thermal and tidal. Fossil fuels are a finite…