Critical Minerals in a Low-Carbon Future: Risk, Innovation, and Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

The global initiative to reduce carbon emissions is intricately linked to the adoption of low-carbon technologies, including renewable energy systems, battery storage solutions, and electric vehicles (EVs). These technologies rely heavily on various minerals, including lithium, cobalt, rare-earth elements, nickel, and copper, among others, which are essential for their efficacy, scalability, and environmental sustainability. Despite their technical importance, the extraction, processing, and supply of these critical minerals face a range of significant challenges, including geopolitical, economic, and environmental concerns. These challenges encompass vulnerable supply chains, geopolitical tensions, water-intensive extraction methods, carbon-intensive processing, and ecosystem degradation. Consequently, the journey toward carbon neutrality must ensure sustainability across the entire lifecycle of critical minerals. This topic aims to serve as a pivotal platform for multidisciplinary research that investigates the interdependencies, risks, and transformative opportunities within the critical mineral–energy–carbon nexus. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Demand for critical minerals in carbon reduction pathways;
• Geographic concentration and geopolitical risks of critical mineral supply chains;
• Environmental impacts of critical mineral production and processing;
• Critical mineral–energy–carbon nexus;
• Sustainable mineral extraction and processing;
• Recycling and circular economy solutions for critical minerals;
• Policy, governance, and international cooperation for resource security and sustainability;
• Risk modeling and resource forecasting under global decarbonization goals.

Dr. Song Wang
Dr. Gang Liu
Prof. Dr. Lei Zhang
Topic Editors