Share

cover art for Europe’s Critical Minerals Crunch

Climate Solutions News

Europe’s Critical Minerals Crunch

Ep. 5
•

Europe’s Critical Raw Material Challenge: Can Innovation Lead the Way?


Europe’s transition to clean energy faces a major obstacle: dependence on imported critical raw materials (CRMs) like lithium, copper, and graphite. A new report, A Critical Raw Material Supply-Side Innovation Roadmap for the EU Energy Transition, highlights how Europe’s share of global mineral production has dropped from 25% to under 7% over 40 years, intensifying the need for domestic supply.


The EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) sets ambitious targets: 10% of mining, 40% of refining, and 25% of recycling to be met domestically by 2030. However, progress has stalled due to permitting delays and local opposition.


Technological innovation offers hope. Geothermal direct lithium extraction projects by Vulcan Energy in Germany and Eramet in France could meet 7% of Europe’s lithium demand. Low-carbon graphite production could supply 40% of EU needs while cutting emissions by 90%. Advanced technologies like bio-leaching for copper, AI-powered exploration, and tailings reprocessing could further boost domestic production while reducing environmental impacts.


Key environmental concerns include high GHG emissions, water-intensive mining, and waste from tailings. The report urges EU policymakers to accelerate funding, streamline permits, and support innovation to reduce import reliance and secure a sustainable clean energy future.


The full article on which this discussion is based can be found at https://climatesolutions.news/news/europes-critical-minerals-crunch-can-innovation-bridge-the-supply-gap. It also contains a link to the original, detailed research document.

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 4. CSN Spotlight Live: Ita Kettleborough, Director of the Energy Transitions Commission

    31:13||Ep. 4
    Mike Scott, Editor of Climate Solutions News, talks to Ita Kettleborough, Director of the Energy Transitions Commission about the outcomes of COP29 in Baku. Ita shares her insights into the summit’s mixed results, highlighting significant progress in clean energy deployment worldwide, such as Indonesia’s coal phase-out commitment and China’s accelerated emission goals. However, she also emphasizes the challenges in negotiations, particularly around climate finance and Article 6. Looking ahead to COP30 in Brazil, Ita discusses the critical steps needed to align international commitments with rapid technological advancements, including more detailed NDCs, clarified financial frameworks, and renewed efforts to transition from fossil fuels.

  • 3. CSN Spotlight Live: interview with Elizabeth Kleinveld, Starupbootcamp

    21:34||Ep. 3
    Mike Scott, Editor of Climate Solutions News, speaks to Elizabeth Kleinveld, Head of Acceleration at Startupbootcamp.Hitting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals will require investment in over 100,000 startups, according to Elizabeth Kleinveld, Head of Acceleration at Startupbootcamp. The organisation is the largest accelerator in Europe. It has run more than 150 accelerators in 20 countries since 2010 and has worked with a portfolio of over 1700 companies so far.Visit www.climatesolutions.news/spotlight for more interviews and climate tech innovator overviews.

  • 2. Be More Dutch!

    14:34||Ep. 2
    For centuries, the Dutch have been pioneers in innovative solutions, especially when it comes to managing the constant threat of rising water levels. As a low-lying country, the Netherlands has been at the forefront of engineering feats like dikes and canals that have safeguarded its lands from the encroaching sea. Today, with climate change accelerating and the world grappling with the consequences of rising sea levels, the Dutch are once again stepping up. Their long history of battling water has made them natural leaders in climate tech innovation, creating a vibrant ecosystem where startups can develop groundbreaking solutions to global environmental challenges.In modern times the Netherlands has transformed into a hub for cutting-edge climate tech startups, with Dutch innovators at the forefront of this essential industry.The discussion is based around the following Opinion piece authored on Climate Solutions News by Jaap Bastiaansen from Nexus Climate: https://climatesolutions.news/opinion/be-more-dutch-climate-innovators-can-learn-from-the-netherlandsThis discussion is created by AI using NotebookLM.

  • 1. AI Wave Causes Nuclear Reaction From Big Tech

    14:24||Ep. 1
    In this episode, we explore how Big Tech players like Google, Microsoft and Amazon are turning to nuclear power generation for their data centres. The rise of AI, in particular the power-hungry generative AI technologies, is driving a demand for more and more energy, producing increasing emissions. In fact, data centres are already responsible for around 3% of global emissions. We dig into the companies' decisions to invest in Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). We also hear about Microsoft's plan to restart generation at Three Mile Island nuclear plant.For more information, check out the original article on Climate Solutions News.