The global energy transition is heralded as humanity’s pivot from destructive fossil fuels to renewable energy systems. Yet, beneath this supposed shift lies an uncomfortable truth: the extraction of critical minerals—indispensable for technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles—is rapidly escalating. This rush for resources raises urgent questions about whose lands, livelihoods, and ecosystems are sacrificed in the name of a green future.
This report is the result of a comprehensive study on the intersection of global ambitions for renewable energy, the extractive practices that sustain them, and the social and environmental costs borne disproportionately by local communities in the Global South—particularly in southern Africa. It covers six southern African countries deeply impacted by critical mineral extraction: cobalt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), nickel in Madagascar, graphite in Mozambique, manganese in South Africa, copper in Zambia and lithium in Zimbabwe.
We hope you find this report informative and valuable. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or for further information. Read the full report below.
I don’t mind us talking about where the hardware will come from for RE infrastructure..but we not done with the mining sector extractavism in Africa,to begin with..have we lost the fight? And how does delving into RE change the narrative for the locals,when past struggles are still dormant?