Minerals and energy interface in energy transition pathways: A systematic and comprehensive review

Since energy-related carbon dioxide emissions represent two-thirds of all greenhouse gases, a transition towards cleaner and renewable energy is imperative. Moreover, the carbon neutrality targets set by countries hinge upon increased uptake of renewable energy and storage. Some of these energy transition (ET) interventions are highly mineral intensive and depend upon critical minerals (CM), which are scarce and face supply challenges. However, what is meant by 'critical' is not uniform and static.The interface between ET and minerals is still an emerging area in policy studies literature. This paper presents a systematic and comprehensive review of 68 studies from a policy perspective studying the critical minerals - ET nexus. Most literature has approached the issue from the perspective of economics or geopolitics, followed by a broad governance approach. Very little attention has been given to legal and institutional aspects and justice in particular. The review suggests that the main challenges associated with the subject relate to the criticality of minerals, raw material security, trade and geopolitics, circular economy strategies, environmental and social impacts, and energy justice.