Critical minerals: Can Australia mine its way out of the climate crisis?

A panel of experts and climate activists discuss Australia’s race to mine critical minerals for renewable technology and the consequences of an unregulated approach. The transition to renewables such as solar, wind and lithium-ion batteries is vital to decarbonise our energy use, systems, and transport. Renewable energy technology relies on an intensification of mining of ‘critical minerals’ for their production such as rare earths, lithium, and copper. This panel explores the implications of accelerating mining for critical minerals for Australia as we seek to meet our international and national climate targets. This event was held in partnership with Jubilee Australia Research Centre and marked the launch of their 'Greenlight or Gaslight' report, which unpacks concerns about how we transition to a more sustainable world. Learn more about this event here.Timestamps 3.52 What are critical minerals? 15.54 Who benefits from the new mining boom? Who bears the costs? 23.00 Governance gaps 37.05 The importance of energy democracy 42.05 Strategies for reducing environmental harms Speakers Luke Fletcher, Jubilee Australia Research Centre Kavita Naidu, Climate Action Network Australia Susan Park, University of Sydney Department of International Relations Lian Sinclair (Chair), University of Sydney School of Geosciences Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.