The energy transition and green mineral value chains: Challenges and opportunities for Africa and Latin America
Melanie Müller, Meike Schulze, Svenja Schöneich
Abstract
There is growing momentum to address climate change and other environmental challenges through a ‘green energy transition’, that is, a shift from fossil fuel-based energy sources to renewable sources such as wind and solar. To carry out this global transition, a variety of resources – particularly minerals such as copper, lithium or cobalt – are required, and these are primarily extracted in the ‘Global South’. This means that these resource-rich countries face a double transition: the transition in their energy supplies, and the transition in their mining sectors. This special issue brings together different perspectives on the green energy transition and mineral value chains from Latin America and Africa. The articles investigate challenges for these countries, but also the opportunities that could potentially unfold as part of these far-reaching changes.