Pathways for equitable and environmentally responsible mineral extraction for green energy: Case studies informing ways forward for policy and practice

MAUTNER, MARINA; FORNI, LAURA; ANDREA E. IZQUIERDO; WAGNER, CHARLOTTE

Conferencia; AGU2023; 2023

Global demand for the green energy transition is driving international public and private investments for mining of critical minerals, promising economic prosperity to countries and local communities where these reserves are located, while also posing negative social and environmental risks. There are significant gaps in knowledge of the impacts of critical mineral mining, especially on marginalized genders and groups living in poverty, limiting effective policy, civil society action, and private sector compliance. Thus, our research works to identify and quantify the perception of impacts of critical mineral mining on local communities and ecosystems, and understand the approaches that communities are employing to protect themselves or mobilize against such impacts. We do this by 1) conducting a meta-synthesis of available literature on the topic, and 2) engaging with local partners and indigenous community groups in the salt flats regions of Argentina, which are undergoing exploration and exploitation of lithium reserves. As part of the connections with the communities, we will provide global evidence for potential impacts that communities can use to support their efforts to protect natural resources that they rely on in similar contexts. We will present on our experiences conducting one-onone interviews with local experts and leaders within the indigenous communities, and how we leveraged these connections to conduct follow-up and new interviews with individuals within the communities.Additionally, we will speak to the considerations that were taken to maintain scientific integrity while respecting the interests of the communities, often at odds with the promotion of the energy transition. Overall, this research consists of an iterative process to produce science that supports the capacity and information needs of local stakeholders, while also leveraging these perspectives to influence mining globally through feedback into the meta-synthesis and future policy engagement.