The push to mine precious metals needed for the green transition sets the EU Commission on a collision course with concerned citizens.
“Lithium and rare earths will soon be more important than oil and gas”, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last September.
The Commission chief pronounced these words as Europe was reeling from an energy crisis accelerated by Russia’ war in Ukraine and which led to the bloc pledging to wean itself off fossil fuels — most of which it has traditionally supplied from Russia — and accelerate its transition towards ”homegrown” renewables and other green tech.
These, however, rely on so-called rare earths which are needed to produce everything from the latest generation batteries to the materials needed to manufacture photovoltaic panels.
”The urgency now is securing [lithium] supplies, it’s really really urgent,” Dr Evi Petavratzi, a senior mineral commodity geologist at the British Geological Survey told Euronews.
The United States Geological Survey estimates that Europe is home to 7% of global lithium deposits, enough to cover 80% of European battery needs.