Who really benefits from the global rush for critical minerals?

Discussions have resulted in suggestions of a critical mineral reserve or a trading bloc, looking to break China’s dominance in the sector.

Missing from the table, however, are the world's resource-rich countries of the Global South, from whom an outsized amount of these minerals is sourced. Places like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chile, Indonesia and Zambia – rich in cobalt, lithium and nickel – have supplied the raw materials of the clean energy transition while facing conflict, labour abuses and environmental damage in return.

While politicians play geopolitical chess, their decisions could have profound effects on developing countries on the front lines of climate change. A suggested price floor, which sets a minimum value that minerals can be traded for, could help bring predictability to resource-rich countries. But of concern is Trump’s proposal of “Project Vault”, effectively locking up the world's minerals at a time when they are urgently needed for the energy transition. While this may provide market security, this could end up delaying the much-needed energy transition, posing the question: what are these discussions really for?

Mining is not a neutral activity, and many human rights and environmental harms have been perpetrated to secure these minerals. The worst fate for them is to simply be locked away as part of a geopolitical tussle.

You only need to look to central Africa to see some of the damaging effects of our critical mineral supply chain. Last week’s tragedy in Rubaya – where more than 200 coltan miners died in a landslide – highlights that the mining of critical minerals often carries a high risk of fuelling conflict and human rights abuses. But the examples are endless – from water scarcity in the salt flats of Argentina or the destruction of forests in Indonesia, the risk of mineral mining can be vast. These stories are all the result of a system based on extractivist practices.

As politicians continue to discuss the critical minerals that end up in our phones, computers and electric cars, one thing is clear: the green transition must happen, but not at any cost. Companies and politicians must ensure that the extraction of these resources never comes at the expense of the local communities, and that profit does not come before people.

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Emily Iona-Stewart is the head of policy and advocacy at Global Witness

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