Mineral Value, Carbon Rules: Pathways for Beneficiation and Low-Carbon Industrialisation in the Global South

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid policy shifts, such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and emerging national carbon taxes, as well as targeted domestic strategies for mineral beneficiation, are rapidly reshaping the opportunities and constraints for mineral‑based industrialisation in the Global South. Equally, rapid urbanisation, migration and remittance dynamics are transforming cities into strategic nodes of demand, labour supply, innovation and environmental vulnerability. This Special Issue, therefore, calls for rigorous theoretical, empirical and policy work that links these processes: how trade‑linked climate instruments and domestic carbon pricing interact with industrial policy, urbanisation dynamics and labour market change to influence investments in local processing, technology adoption, downstream manufacturing and urban livelihoods.

We invite research on CBAM’s transmission channels for exporters of minerals and intermediate inputs, the design of carbon tax and rebate systems that avoid double burdens, and the role of measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems in enabling credible, trade‑compliant carbon accounting. Papers should explicitly consider urban dimensions: how mineral beneficiation and new low‑carbon facilities locate relative to expanding cities, how migration and remittance flows shape household welfare and labour supply for beneficiation and circular‑economy activities, and how urban infrastructure and service constraints (housing, transport, energy) mediate the socio‑economic impacts of industrial transitions.

Studies of mineral beneficiation, local content policies and circular‑economy models are especially welcome when they integrate urban outcomes—for example, analyses of processing technologies, material reuse, waste valorisation and industrial symbiosis that reduce lifecycle emissions while maximising domestic value capture and urban employment. Contributions should explore how circular practices can be embedded in beneficiation strategies to create decent jobs, lower emissions intensities, improve resource resilience and support inclusive urban growth rather than deepen spatial inequality or informalisation.

Regional integration frameworks (trade facilitation, harmonised standards, pooled verification hubs and corridor‑based supplier parks) can scale beneficiation, lower compliance costs under border measures, and attract green industrial finance; papers should assess how these frameworks interact with urban labour markets and migration patterns, and how benefits can be distributed across urban and peri‑urban communities. Methodologically, we encourage mixed‑methods approaches, such as gravity models, and country, firm, and household‑level econometrics.

Policy‑oriented pieces that propose concrete financing mechanisms (concessional funds, blended finance, donor-co-financing tied to milestones), institutional reforms, urban‑sensitive social protection, and roadmaps for public–private technology partnerships are particularly valuable. Finally, the Special Issue seeks work that prioritises equity and inclusion: protecting labour, households, and small suppliers during transitions; assessing the distributional effects of carbon pricing and border measures on urban poverty and informality; and designing mechanisms to ensure mineral‑led, low‑carbon growth supports broad‑based, resilient, and regionally integrated urban development. Comparative, cross‑country and city‑level studies involving Africa, Latin America, South and Southeast Asia, and BRICS economies are strongly encouraged to surface transferable lessons and pragmatic pathways for sustainable, inclusive mineral‑based industrialisation in a carbon‑constrained world.

Prof. Dr. Mduduzi Biyase
Dr. Talent Zwane
Dr. Sodiq Arogundade
Guest Editors

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• CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism)
• carbon tax
• mineral beneficiation
• local content
• mineral‑based industrialisation
• circular economy
• regional integration
• value‑chain upgrading
• trade‑linked climate policy
• carbon pricing