Australia's role in the global security-sustainability nexus

In the second critical minerals symposium led by Professor Susan Park, and hosted by the Sydney Environment Institute, the Australian Social Sciences Academy and the Centre for International Security Studies, we examined the key challenges facing Australia’s efforts to mine critical minerals necessary for the transition to renewable energy.

Australia is well positioned to contribute to the shift to renewable energy. Solar panels, wind turbines and lithium-ion batteries all require minerals we have in abundance. Indeed, we are already the world’s largest exporter of lithium, and we are third in cobalt, and fourth in Rare Earth Elements (REE). 

However, these are immature markets prone to boom and bust, with overconfidence often leading to over-supply and dramatic price drops. Moreover, most of the minerals for the transition exist on Indigenous lands or lands where traditional owners have the right to negotiate. This is not just important for social justice for First Nations people, and therefore for miners’ social licence to operate but because mining is a dirty business, with significant impacts on freshwater, hazardous waste, pollution and biodiversity loss, with the last two as contributors to ecosystem collapse.

During the two-day symposium, stakeholders from state and federal government, unions, environmental groups and industry associations came together at the University of Sydney to highlight the issues facing communities and companies in seeking to advance fairer and more sustainable minerals mining as we urgently seek to decarbonise.

The climate crisis highlights the priority in shifting our energy systems and use, while highlighting the potential to drive a more sustainable and secure future for Australia. This is challenging given Australia tends to export its minerals for processing primarily to China while the US and the EU increasingly seek more sustainable minerals supplies from a greater range of partners. 

Australia’s Future Made in Australia Act hopes to provide the policy and investment opportunities to help economic development in more minerals processing, which would provide greater benefits to the Australian economy and give us greater economic and energy security. 

Event details

Dates: 14-15 November 2024

Location: University of Sydney, Camperdown campus

Convener: Professor Susan Park – susan.park@sydney.edu.au

Susan Park is Professor of Global Governance in International Relations at the University of Sydney. She focuses on how international organisations and global governance can become greener and more accountable, particularly in the transition to renewable energy. She has been a visiting scholar at the London School of Economics, Oxford University, the Technical University of Munich, American University, and the Centennial Centre in Washington DC.

Participants will explore pressing questions, such as:

• Are national energy security demands aligned with efforts to address the environmental and social impacts of critical minerals extraction, production, and consumption?
• Can the urgency of transitioning to renewable energy, which is heavily reliant on critical minerals, be balanced with the need for a just and sustainable transition?
• What regulations and standards currently govern the extraction, processing, and supply chains of critical minerals, and are they adequate to ensure sustainable outcomes? 
• How can environmental and social harms from critical minerals mining be minimised, and what innovations or strategies could support this goal

The workshop was conducted under Chatham House Rules to encourage open and candid dialogue.

Further reading

• Australian Government (2023), Critical minerals strategy 2023-2030, Department of Industry, Science and Resources, Canberra, Australia.
• New South Wales Government, (2024) Critical Minerals and High-Tech Metals Strategy 2024-35, Regional NSW, Sydney, Australia.
• Park, S., Kramarz, T., Johnson, C. (2024). Governance gaps and accountability traps in renewables extractivism. Environmental Policy and Governance. https://doi.org/10.1002/eet.2122