Mineral supply for sustainable development requires resource governance
Open accessAbstract
Successful delivery of the United Nations sustainable development goals and implementation of the Paris Agreement requires technologies that utilize a wide range of minerals in vast quantities. Metal recycling and technological change will contribute to sustaining supply, but mining must continue and grow for the foreseeable future to ensure that such minerals remain available to industry. New links are needed between existing institutional frameworks to oversee responsible sourcing of minerals, trajectories for mineral exploration, environmental practices, and consumer awareness of the effects of consumption. Here we present, through analysis of a comprehensive set of data and demand forecasts, an interdisciplinary perspective on how best to ensure ecologically viable continuity of global mineral supply over the coming decades.
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While materials from battery recycling are expected to reduce environmental damage, raw material extraction will need to provide the lion's share of battery materials in the foreseeable future.
“While materials from battery recycling are expected to reduce environmental damage, raw material extraction will need to provide the lion’s share of battery materials in the foreseeable future41–47.”
From Carbon footprint distributions of lithium-ion batteries and their materials (2024) · cites this paper as [44]
Extraction of these materials generates extensive ecological externalities, including toxic waste and riverine contamination.
“Their extraction generates extensive ecological externalities, including toxic waste and riverine contamination (Ali etal. 2017; Wübbeke 2013).”
From The ecology of artificial intelligence: energy, water, materials, and land limits of digital systems (2025) · cites this paper as Ali et al. 2017
Advanced processors and memory chips require refined silicon, copper, cobalt, tantalum, and rare-earth elements such as neodymium and terbium.
“Advanced processors and memory chips require refined silicon, copper, cobalt, tantalum, and rare-earth elements such as neodymium and terbium.”
From The ecology of artificial intelligence: energy, water, materials, and land limits of digital systems (2025) · cites this paper as Ali et al. 2017
The mining and processing of materials for AI hardware often occur in ecologically sensitive areas, such as China, Africa, and South America, resulting in deforestation, soil contamination, and riverine pollution.
“The mining and processing of these materials often occur in ecologically sensitive areas, such as China, Africa, and South America, resulting in deforestation, soil contamination, and riverine pollution.”
From The ecology of artificial intelligence: energy, water, materials, and land limits of digital systems (2025) · cites this paper as Ali et al. 2017
High-value informational outputs are generated in the global North, while many of the ecological and material costs are absorbed by resource-intensive industrial nodes in Asia and the Middle East.
“Highvalue informational outputs are generated in the global North, while many of the ecological and material costs are absorbed by resource-intensive industrial nodes in Asia and the Middle East (Ali etal. 2017; UNEP 2020).”
From The ecology of artificial intelligence: energy, water, materials, and land limits of digital systems (2025) · cites this paper as Ali et al. 2017
Semiconductor manufacturing depends on high-purity silicon, copper, cobalt, and rare earth elements such as neodymium and terbium.
“Semiconductor manufacturing depends on high-purity silicon, copper, cobalt, and rare earth elements such as neodymium and terbium (Ali et al. 2017; Wübbeke 2013).”
From The ecology of artificial intelligence: energy, water, materials, and land limits of digital systems (2025) · cites this paper as Ali et al. 2017
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“Their extraction generates extensive ecological exter-nalities, including toxic waste and riverine contamination (Ali et al. 2017; Wübbeke 2013).”
- Authors
- Ali, S. H., Giurco, D., Arndt, N., Nickless, E., Brown, G., Demetriades, A., Durrheim, R., Enriquez, M. A., Kinnaird, J., Littleboy, A., Meinert, L. D., Oberhänsli, R., Salem, J., Schodde, R., Schneider, G., Vidal, O., & Yakovleva, N.
- Affiliations
- University of Vermont (US)
- University of Technology Sydney (AU)
- Institut des Sciences de la Terre (FR)
- Geological Society of London (GB)
- University of the Witwatersrand (ZA)
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (AU)
- United States Geological Survey (US)
- University of Potsdam (DE)
- The University of Western Australia (AU)
- Newcastle University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Ali, Saleem H.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2017-03-16
- Volume
- 543
- Issue
- 7645
- Pages
- 367-372
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W2596949131
- Cited by
- 803
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2026: 115 · 2025: 105 · 2024: 88 · 2023: 90 · 2022: 85 · 2021: 83 · 2020: 71 · 2019: 91 · 2018: 53 · 2017: 22
- FWCI
- 60.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Update notices
- erratum (2017-06-28)
- Open access
- green
- insu.hal.science
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UWA Profiles and Research Repository (UWA) (submittedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- publish.UP (University of Potsdam) (submittedVersion)
- UTS ePRESS (University of Technology Sydney) (submittedVersion)
- Newcastle University ePrints (Newcastle Univesity)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Mining and Resource Management
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Extraction and Separation Processes
- Social Sciences › Law › Geology and Environmental Impact Studies
- Keywords
- mineral supply, natural resource governance, Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement, mineral exploration, metal recycling, technological change, mining, consumer awareness, environmental practices, institutional framework, climate targets
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