Irish Examiner view: Climate will suffer for mineral rush

Planet Earth has no favourites among the nations

A conveyor belt carries chunks of Raw cobalt after a first transformation at a plant in Lubumbashi, Congo. While cobalt is vital for renewables, it is also in high demand by various militaries, and for similar reasons, given that it can be used in drones and AI-supported equipment. Picture: Samir Tounsi/AFP/Getty

One doesn’t normally think of the military as being on the front line of the climate crisis, but alas, here we are.

We are likely well aware of how various political powers have been scrambling for control of rare earths and other critical minerals — scrambling is a deliberate choice here, given how it recalls European colonisation of Africa for raw materials in the 19th century. Most modern technologies depend on them, with cobalt, for example, being an essential component in batteries for electric vehicles and other renewable energy equipment. These minerals are so important that much of our collective efforts to mitigate climate change are intrinsically bound to them.