By Dr Ingrid Putkonen, Founder and Managing Director, Metals for Humanity
(lbma.org.uk) - It’s been widely noted, with the energy transition, that we are moving from a hydrocarbons- to a minerals-based economy. Less well known, is that the mineral resources required to reach current net-zero targets exceed known supplies. Projected shortages extend not just to rare earths and battery minerals – which are a major concern – but also to mainstream metals. The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that, on the current trajectory, global production of copper and nickel will satisfy only 70% and 80% of the respective requirements by 2035.