Nurturing Cooperation in the Critical Minerals Supply Chains

Introduction The global order, it seems, was in constant turmoil in the last decade, barely held together by a web of complicated partnerships and alliances and weakening multilateral institutions. Major powers like the United States (US) and China are competing with one another for global economic dominance; Russia has upended the United Nations Charter and sent shockwaves throughout the global community by annexing Crimea in 2014 and conducting a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022; and Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October (and Israel’s prolonged military response) shows that the Middle East is anything but stable. Amid the unease, danger, and destruction, it is easy to forget that the world is also in the middle of another crucial shift: a new industrial revolution. This time, the colour is green, and the aim is a cleaner, more livable world for future generations. This industrial revolution looks different from those that came before and will require unprecedented access to global critical minerals “essential to the functioning and integrity of a wide range of industrial ecosystems”, such as solar and wind farms, energy-efficient lighting, and electric vehicle battery production. [1]