While Trump zeroes in on embattled Ukraine's critical mineral reserves, conflict and inequality clash with efforts for a just energy transition across the globe
The extraction and trade of some critical minerals is intensifying new geopolitical tensions and reinforcing long-standing patterns of exploitation.
Many of these resources are concentrated in countries already struggling with conflict, corruption and economic instability, spanning from Ukraine in Europe to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in Africa.
Instead of enabling a fair and just transition for both communities and countries globally, the race for critical minerals is exacerbating human rights abuses, deepening inequality and fuelling global unrest.
What are rare earth minerals and energy transition critical minerals?
Critical minerals (also known as transition minerals) and rare earth minerals are essential to modern technology and the green energy transition.
These materials, such as lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements, are used in everything from electric vehicle batteries to wind turbines. Rare earths are used in the magnets that turn the engines of electric vehicles.
As the world increases the number of renewables, demand for these minerals is skyrocketing.
How are critical minerals driving global conflict?
The global scramble for minerals is unfolding at a time of heightened geopolitical competition. Countries and corporations are racing to secure their mineral supplies, often at the expense of the communities in resource-rich nations.
As the Trump Ukraine deal unfolds, natural resources in Ukraine have become a key bargaining chip in international diplomacy between the US and Russia.
In DRC, ongoing violence linked to mineral extraction continues, with UN reports suggesting that Rwanda’s involvement in the M23 insurgency is motivated by a desire to extract from the region’s vast cobalt reserves.
Myanmar has also experienced a post-coup rush for control over its rare earth minerals, while Latin American countries like Chile and Colombia are grappling with how to ensure that their lithium wealth benefits local economies rather than multinational corporations.
The geopolitical battle over critical minerals
Through strategic investments and long-term trade agreements, China has secured access to mineral resources across Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia, making itself the central player in the global energy transition.
In response, the US and the EU are racing to reduce their dependence on China by forging new mineral strategies.
While the EU has integrated mineral supply chain security into its Global Gateway international development strategy, the US has taken a rather more bullish stance, signalling that it intends to go after Canada and Greenland for their resources.
These moves are escalating tensions, as resource-rich countries find themselves caught between competing economic powers.
Historic inequalities replay in critical mineral mining
The way this competition is playing out mirrors the extractive practices of the fossil fuel industry, where powerful actors profit while frontline communities bear the environmental and social costs.
Mining operations are causing deforestation, water pollution and land degradation, harming ecosystems and local communities, and sparking conflicts for the resources. Many of the workers in mining operations, particularly in countries like DRC, are subjected to dangerous working conditions, exploitative labour practices and even child labour.
Meanwhile, many resource-rich nations remain trapped in economic dependency, as their minerals are extracted for export rather than used to build local industries and infrastructure.
That economic dependency may even be deepening with the emergence of "aid for trade" deals, like the mineral deal presented to Ukraine by Trump in exchange for investment in the country’s reconstruction.
These dynamics reinforce global inequality, ensuring that the benefits of the energy transition remain concentrated in the hands of a few powerful nations and corporations.
What needs to change?
For the green transition to be truly just, critical minerals must be treated as a global good rather than a resource to be hoarded by the most powerful nations.
Governments must implement stronger regulations to ensure that companies sourcing minerals uphold human rights and environmental protections. Transparency and oversight are essential to prevent secretive mineral deals that could prioritise corporate interests over local communities.
Resource-rich countries must have the opportunity to develop their own industries, creating jobs and economic stability instead of serving as mere extraction sites for wealthier nations.
Indigenous communities must be at the centre of decision-making, with Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) as a mandatory requirement for any mining project.
Why does this matter for the energy transition?
The fossil fuel era has already demonstrated what happens when profits are prioritised over people – widespread environmental destruction, deepening inequality and climate catastrophe.
Without urgent intervention, the minerals boom will follow the same path.
There is still an opportunity to approach this differently by creating a fairer and more sustainable system that ensures critical minerals benefit everyone, not just the most powerful.
Achieving this requires immediate action from governments, businesses and civil society to hold the industry accountable. At Global Witness, we are working to expose the hidden costs of the critical minerals race and advocate for a more just and transparent system.
The fight for a sustainable future is not just about transitioning away from fossil fuels – it is about ensuring that the transition itself does not perpetuate the same injustices of the past.
