Natural Resources

The mining of rare earths is not just about international raw materials policy, as a new study from Myanmar shows. It is also about environmental justice, local governance and the future of the civil war-torn country.

A new study examines how the transition to a circular economy can be made fair globally. Against this background, we evaluate the Clean Industrial Deal presented by the EU Commission in February 2025.

Funding climate protection through carbon certificates for soil may seem beneficial at first. However, a greater focus on soil health and supporting farmers in adopting sustainable practices would be far more effective in practice.

The Rio Tinto controversy in Serbia revolves around the planned Jadar lithium mine. Despite economic benefits, strong opposition arises due to environmental concerns such as water shortages and pollution. Local protesters demand more environmental protection.

The EU's Critical Raw Materials Act is peppered with commitments to “value-addition” in the countries where critical minerals will be mined and processed. But there is reason to believe that this means little.

The European Union has understood the importance of critical minerals in building a sustainable future. But neglecting to address the mining industry’s human-rights violations and environmental destruction could harm the ensure access to raw materials and boost the climate change.

An examination of Ecuador's groundbreaking constitution, which centers nature, and the reasons it has the potential to inspire the world.

The mobility transition offers the opportunity for a new regenerative economic model that does not repeat the mistakes of fossil fuel era. To rely solely on electric cars now would be heading in the wrong direction. A central component of a just mobility transition would be to end dependence on private cars, expand public transportation and promote healthy and active mobility options such as cycling and walking in cities as well.

Even if all raw materials could be recycled, this alone would not be enough to meet the rapidly growing demand. It is crucial that all options for waste prevention and reuse be exhausted and products and infrastructure used for as long as possible. In addition, these must be designed to be durable and easy to repair.

The circular economy is an approach for a sustainable economy and a good way of life, as well as an actionable response to the triple planetary crisis – global warming, loss of biodiversity and pollution – and not least a solution to an increasingly uncertain supply of raw materials. How could it be implemented on a global scale?

It is long overdue that countries that extract or import raw materials establish clear standards and responsibilities for dealing with the consequences of mining. From the perspective of sustainability, most of the damage caused should no longer be tolerated at all.

Their collective rights are recognized and enshrined in international agreements and national laws – yet indigenous communities still suffer immensely from the consequences of invasive mining projects.

The new German raw materials policy is tasked with increasing recycling and creating lasting supply security by diversifying supply routes as well as production and processing capacities. And it must ensure that resource-rich countries can benefit from their wealth.

Erika Mendes and her organization Justiça Ambiental in Mozambique fight to ensure that companies can be held liable for violations – whether or not they have conducted due diligence.

A new supply chain act is currently being discussed at EU level, giving rise to an important question: Is it enough for companies to be certified through private auditors to show that they are adequately preventing violations of human rights in their supply chains? A conversation with Matthias Baier, the head of the German Competent Authority - EU Due Diligence Obligations in Mineral Supply Chains (DEKSOR), who has already gained initial experience with such audits.

The German supply chain act is a step forward, and the ongoing negotiations on a European equivalent also offer some hope for greater protection of human rights, the climate and the environment. These laws alone will not suffice make the extractive sector truly fairer and more sustainable, however.

Dead animals and sick people, dry or polluted wells: Espinar shows that national institutions are failing to manage the consequences of industrial mining, which endangers the lives of hundreds of children, men and women.

They have all experienced how companies exploit their country’s resources without taking responsibility for the consequences; how people’s livelihoods are being destroyed and they are being driven out of their ancestral lands. Activists have decided not to take this lying down. They fight against powerful companies and the inaction of their own governments. Six examples from six countries.

The EU Commission is working towards sustainable solutions for the supply of critical raw materials, but the EU Critical Raw Material Act lacks specific proposals.

The Critical Raw Materials Act proposed by the European Commission provides – in addition to recycling – for the reactivation and expansion of mining in Europe. What does this mean for resource-rich European countries? How do their civil societies feel about the run on raw materials on their doorstep? Three views from Serbia, Sweden and Ukraine.