Aterian plc’s Post

The climate transition is a materials transition. Decades of international diplomacy around oil, gas and pipelines are now giving way to conversations around the supply of critical raw materials. And not before time: to meet the EU's energy and climate targets, we need to build the right technologies, in the right quantities, at the right speed. The problem is that many of these technologies are built with materials imported from just a handful of countries. Critical raw materials are defined as those materials which have significant economic importance and are exposed to a high supply risk, often because of a high concentration of supply from a few third countries. Demand for these precious resources is expected to increase exponentially in the coming years, not just in the EU, but around the world. This will increase global competition just as the EU's own needs soar. Against this backdrop, preparedness is crucial. #energy #transition #climatechange #mining #minerals #geopolitics #preparedness https://lnkd.in/gMiXu7QR

U.S. and allies aim to establish a standardized international marketplace for critical minerals to reduce reliance on China and secure supply chains for clean energy technologies. 🌍🔋 #CriticalMinerals #SupplyChain #Geopolitics #Sustainability #CleanEnergy

Sure, talking is important. But results would have been more important. However, the last round of negotiations between the EU and the US within the framework of the Trade and Technology Council (#TTC) ended largely without results. This is a serious problem for Europe. Other than hoped for, it was not possible to agree on a joint critical raw materials agreement. This would have allowed EVs from the EU to benefit from subsidies under the US Inflation Reduction Act. According to the IRA, at least 40 percent of the critical minerals in an EV battery must either come from the USA itself or from a country with which a free trade agreement exists. There is no such agreement with the EU. Instead, a partnership forum (#MSP) for critical raw materials (#CRMs) has been set up. The forum is intended to bring together resource-rich countries with countries with a high demand for these resources. The MSP has so far had 15 partners (Australia, Canada, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the USA and the EU). Malawi, Angola, the Philippines, Brazil, Indonesia, Ukraine, Libya, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were invited to the launch. The MSP is of course an important step. But it doesn’t ease the pressure of potential business relocations. #criticalrawmaterieals #ecars #inflationreductionact #europe #usa #tradeagreement #tradetechnologycouncil https://t.ly/ngusI

"Scrambling to reduce dependence on China, the US government is now exploring policies and regulations aimed at ensuring a secure and independent supply of critical minerals that have been long overdue. However, these initiatives highlight the inherent contradictions in the nation’s policy goals around critical minerals, despite bipartisan support on the issue." Read more below:

Join the conversation 💬 on critical minerals and their role in the clean energy transition! 🌍   This session at our upcoming conference 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮-𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻-𝗡𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟱𝟬 in Adelaide this week on Friday, 12 April will engage in discussions shedding light on the complexities of the clean energy transition.    Critical minerals – the building blocks essential to shifting our economies to a lower-carbon future – are very much in the news as the world strives to find ways of ensuring stable and reliable supply at reasonable prices. With geopolitical issues increasingly impinging on the conversation, both Australia and Japan have a strong imperative to ensure they have diverse and resilient supply chains for these crucial components of the future energy mix. But the path to date has not been smooth. While the long term outlook for critical minerals seems assured, in the shorter term the waters have been choppy. Difficulties in matching supply with demand, and heavy concentration of processing in a single country have contributed to severe price volatility, standing in the way of effective and diverse global markets.   As both economic and strategic partners with highly complementary economies, both Australia and Japan have a strong national interest in ensuring these issues are resolved. Australia needs to maximise the value from its huge natural resources; Japan needs to be able to secure all its requirements from a trusted partner.    That’s why we’re holding a special breakout Round Table conversation, moderated by Namali Mackay, Managing Director of the Critical Minerals Association Australia, and featuring key players such as Rio Tinto, Export Finance Australia, Renascor Resources Limited and a range of major Japanese investors at our upcoming conference!   Questions to be considered include:    🔹 How do market fluctuations impact critical mineral supply certainty, and how do Australian and Japanese governments and companies respond? 🔹 Have recent policy developments in both countries fostered cooperation on critical minerals? 🔹 how can government-business collaboration address the obstacles hindering establishing durable Australia-Japan Critical Minerals supply chains? …and more!    🔍 Stay updated with live program details: https://lnkd.in/g_rMUCW8   #CriticalMinerals #AustraliaJapanPartnership #AUSJPNEnergyPartners #AJBCC Richard Andrews Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade JETRO - Japan External Trade Organization Tim Lester Fiona Simon Clare Pope Llewelyn Hughes Mack Wilson Shannon O'Rourke Tom Allen Hugo Batten Katerina Aleksoska

International Graphite (ASX:IG6) managing director Andrew Worland and chair Phil Hearse are in Washington DC this week, part of the official Australian delegation to the 10th annual SelectUSA Investment Summit hosted by the US Department of Commerce. This summit is one of the biggest investment showcase events hosted by the US Government, attended by economic development leaders from 55 states. The US has been investing heavily in #CriticalMineral supply chains in recent months with a focus on diversified sources independent of China’s exports. In May last year, Australia and the US signed the Climate, Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Transformation Compact, with the goal of enhancing bilateral cooperation and establishing climate and clean energy as a central pillar of the Australia-United States Alliance. More at #Proactive #ProactiveInvestors #Graphite #GraphiteMining #BatteryMetals #CriticalMinerals http://ow.ly/UoRb105ycKC

US lithium production is set to spike with new projects advancing in Nevada and California. The expansion aims to reduce reliance on China for critical minerals and electric-vehicle batteries. Some environmental groups and Native tribes say the mines threaten wildlife and sacred sites. #electricvehicles #zeroemissions

As the global #energy landscape undergoes transformation, there is an urgent need for substantial mineral resources to drive the shift to cleaner energy sources.   In their latest research, our economists Greetje Frankena and Dana Bodnar delve into the crucial role that Latin America and the Caribbean (LACs) can play in this context. They highlight how the region's abundant mineral reserves offer a promising opportunity for bolstering the security and diversification of critical mineral #supplychains – a strategic priority for the #US and #Europe aiming to reduce reliance on #China for mineral processing activities. However, they point out the crucial importance of socially and environmentally responsible practices for effectively exploiting LAC's vast mineral resources. Without such practices, the potential benefits could be undermined by negative #environmental and social impacts.   Read the full report via https://lnkd.in/dUAWAwhi   #sustainablemining #energytransition #caribbeanbusiness #export #mineralresources #financingsolutions

As the global #energy landscape undergoes transformation, there is an urgent need for substantial mineral resources to drive the shift to cleaner energy sources.   In their latest research, our economists Greetje Frankena and Dana Bodnar delve into the crucial role that Latin America and the Caribbean (LACs) can play in this context. They highlight how the region's abundant mineral reserves offer a promising opportunity for bolstering the security and diversification of critical mineral #supplychains – a strategic priority for the #US and #Europe aiming to reduce reliance on #China for mineral processing activities. However, they point out the crucial importance of socially and environmentally responsible practices for effectively exploiting LAC's vast mineral resources. Without such practices, the potential benefits could be undermined by negative #environmental and social impacts.   Read the full report via https://lnkd.in/dUAWAwhi   #sustainablemining #energytransition #caribbeanbusiness #export #mineralresources #financingsolutions

Can the U.S. Break China’s Grip on Rare Earths? See what is required of the West to build a competitive supply chain >> https://lnkd.in/gGS9RD7h The US's push to build a competitive rare earths supply chain faces headwinds in both market conditions and geopolitical maneuvering. #rareearths #lithium #copper #nickel #evs #ai #china #unitedstates #carboncredits #carbonemissions #carbonoffsets #carbonprices #carbonpricing #carbonscapture #carbonmarkets #carbonnews #carbonprices #carbonremoval #ccs #ccus #cdr #climatechange #cleanenergy #decarbonization #emissionsreduction #energytransition #esg #greenhydrogen #ghgemissions #netzero