Enviro News Asia, Belém — The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), set to take place in Belém, Brazil, from 10–21 November 2025, is expected to spotlight a rapidly emerging issue in the global clean energy transition — the governance of energy transition minerals.
This issue has gained prominence as global demand surges for critical metals such as copper, cobalt, lithium, nickel, and graphite, which are essential components of clean energy technologies, from solar panels and wind turbines to electric vehicle batteries.
The growing demand for these minerals presents major economic opportunities for resource-rich developing countries. However, it also poses social and environmental risks — including deforestation, pollution, and conflicts with local communities. Cases in Indonesia, Zambia, and Chile illustrate how the expansion of the mining industry can clash with sustainability goals.
During pre-COP30 consultations, developing nations in Latin America and Africa called for robust social and environmental safeguards to ensure that the economic benefits of mining are shared equitably. Diplomats warned that without sound governance, the mining sector could become the “Achilles’ heel” of a just energy transition.
The issue is now being discussed under response measures, which address the socio-economic impacts of climate policies, as well as within the Just Transition Work Programme, which emphasizes fairness for workers, communities, and ecosystems in the energy transition.
As the host country, Brazil has declared that reaching a concrete agreement on a just transition will be a top priority for COP30. The Brazilian government also stressed that the production of transition minerals must uphold human rights and promote sustainable development.
“Brazil supports the principles of transparency, anti-corruption, and value addition in developing countries within the context of critical mineral production,”
said a COP30 spokesperson to Climate Home News.
Incorporating the issue of energy transition minerals into the official COP30 decisions will require consensus among all participating nations, though analysts remain optimistic.
“COP30 has a unique opportunity to become the first forum to truly address the governance of transition minerals in global climate action,”
said Antonio Hill from the Natural Resource Governance Institute.
“This step could bridge a major gap in the current energy transition agenda,” he added.
More than 200 civil society organizations have signed an open letter urging governments to bring the mineral governance issue to the COP30 agenda. They are calling for countries to adopt the UN Panel’s principles and recommendations on creating transparent, sustainable, and equitable mineral supply chains.
The appeal has received strong backing from the G77 and China coalition, representing 134 developing countries, who described a dedicated dialogue on transition minerals as “timely and essential” to align development needs with climate commitments.
In its statement, the G77 and China warned that without governance reforms, the mineral boom could widen global economic inequality and hamper industrial diversification in developing nations.
More than half of the world’s reserves of transition minerals are located on or near Indigenous territories, with many mines situated in biodiversity-rich regions. This underscores the need for Indigenous participation in decision-making processes, given their crucial role in protecting tropical forests — the planet’s lungs and key carbon sinks. (*)
