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Energy, critical minerals, and security - Security Council, 10114th meeting
Critical minerals now underpin the technologies powering the digital economy and the energy transition, the Security Council heard today, as speakers said soaring demand for such resources creates opportunity for development but also geopolitical competition that could lead to conflict if not governed responsibly.
Rosemary DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, told the 15-member Council that critical minerals are now “among the main drivers of the twenty-first century economy”, essential to everything from smartphones to electric vehicles and medical technologies.
In recent years, minerals like lithium, cobalt and nickel have shifted from limited strategic value to resources that underpin the technologies powering the digital economy and the energy transition. “In 2023 alone, the trade in raw and semi-processed minerals reached approximately $2.5 trillion — representing more than 10 per cent of global trade,” Ms. DiCarlo explained.
She framed the demand surge as both opportunity and risk, saying that demand could triple by 2030 and quadruple by 2040, offering a “generational opportunity” to create jobs and diversify economies.
- Briefer: Rosemary DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
