Mining resources, the inconvenient truth of the “ecological” transition

Abstract

By 2035, the International Energy Agency predicts that $48 trillion will need invested to meet global energy needs, with at least half of these amounts needed to be funneled into renewable electricity sources and energy efficiency efforts. The energy transition is an important dimension of a global climate change mitigation strategy. Using open data on transnational mining deals from the Land Matrix Initiative, we display the current transnational mining network with patterns of concentration and new forms of dependencies between investing and target countries. Using different global development metrics, we also characterize the context within which the mining network is embedded in. Beyond geopolitical concerns and the reconfiguration of power relations in international arenas, the energy transition raises issues of environmental justice. In this study, we clearly display distributive injustices with inequitable distribution of costs, with target countries supporting most of the social and environmental costs of resource extraction in areas marked by land and food insecurity and instability in terms of governance.