A new intergovernmental group will try to curb abuses linked to critical mineral mining

The United Nations released a new panel to develop mining guidelines for critical minerals in high demand for electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies.

The newly created Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals includes representatives from nearly 100 countries, as well as nonprofit organizations and industry groups. Its task is to develop “a set of common and voluntary global principles to safeguard environmental and social standards and embody justice [in] the energy transition.”

Powering an economy with renewable energy is a mineral-intensive endeavor. And it will take a concerted effort to curb human rights violations and environmental damage associated with the extraction of these minerals. This is just the first step in solving a problem that could grow much larger without installing guardrails.

Demand for minerals used in renewable energy technologies is expected to increase by almost quadruple by 2030. This includes lithium, cobalt and copper used in batteries for electric vehicles and wind and solar systems. Building an EV requires about six times more mineral resources than making a gas-guzzling car, and an onshore wind farm needs up to nine times more minerals than a gas-powered plant. according to the International Energy Agency.

The supply chains for these minerals are already full of allegations of human rights violations and labor and environmental abuses. A Tesla battery materials supplier has racked up at least 70 allegations of abuse since 2010, On the edge reported last year. This included poor working conditions at a cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where workers said On the edge they had to work long hours in oppressive heat with little water, food or pay.

There are limitations to what the United Nations can do to change the situation. While advocates representing environmental groups and indigenous people affected by mining will have some seats at the table, the guidelines will also be shaped by industry representatives on the panel. The International Council on Mining and Metals, which represents a third of the global metals and mining industry, is a member of the panel.

And at the end of the day, the panel is just releasing non-binding best practice recommendations. “The fact that these are only voluntary principles means that there will be no enforcement mechanism for any guidelines that are developed. In the end, voluntary guidelines are only as good as those who are willing to commit to them,” Laura Kelly, director of sustainable markets research at think tank International Institute for Environment and Development, counted The Guardian.

The UN panel is expected to share draft voluntary guidelines by the UN General Assembly in September.

“A world powered by renewable energy is a world hungry for critical minerals,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. he said during the launch of the new dashboard on Friday. “The renewable energy revolution is happening – but we must steer it towards justice.”