Mining and Extractives

Critical minerals power the energy transition, yet extracting them tests the limits of environmental, social, and financial governance. This book shows why the sustainability of mining depends less on geology than on the institutions that govern it.

- Understand why criticality is a governance problem, not a geological one
- Analyze the material demands the clean energy transition places on mineral supply
- Examine the environmental footprint of extraction across land, water, and biodiversity
- Evaluate tailings safety, mine closure, and the intergenerational liabilities of extraction
- Discover how the social license to operate and Indigenous consent shape project viability
- Interpret the resource curse and the institutions that turn mineral wealth into development
- Evaluate ESG, disclosure, and supply chain due diligence as instruments of financial discipline
- Examine the geopolitics, circular economy, and future pathways of responsible extraction

Written for policymakers, industry professionals, investors, and students, this book provides a clear, structured framework for understanding one of the defining challenges of the twenty-first-century economy. Read it to grasp how responsible extraction can support, rather than undermine, a just and durable transition.