Spain – The challenges of a just energy transition
On 27 September, the international seminar "What is a just energy transition? Challenges of North-South mining extractivism", co-organised by the University of Deusto and Alboan, aimed to provide a global overview of the challenges posed by the extraction of "critical minerals" for the manufacture of low-emission technologies.
A large panel of international experts took part to address these issues. Prof. Anthony Bebbington, International Director of Natural Resources and Climate Change at the Ford Foundation, gave an overview of the challenges facing the governance of mineral resources in view of the energy transition.
This was followed by three thematic panels. The first, devoted to the African perspective, featured Elias O. Opongo SJ, professor of peace studies at Hekima University (Nairobi); Rigobert Minani SJ, coordinator of the Ecclesial Network of the Congo Basin Forest (REBAC); and Charles Chilufya SJ, coordinator of the Jesuit Justice and Ecology Network of Africa (JENA).
The second panel covered Latin America, with Ana Carolina González, Director of Programmes at the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), analysing the challenges posed by the extraction of strategic minerals. She was joined by Prof. Javier Arellano, Dean of the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences at the University of Deusto, and an expert in governance and development, to present the research they have carried out at the Centre for Applied Ethics on gold mining in the Amazon.
The last panel was dedicated to analysing the link between European policies linked to the energy transition and the supply chains of strategic minerals. Guillermo Otano, advocacy technician at the Alboan Foundation and coordinator of the Justice in Mining Network; Cecilia Mattea, head of the Clean Mobility programme of the Transport & Environment group; and Divin-Luc Bikubanya, researcher at the Centre of Experts in Mining Governance (CEGEMI) of the Catholic University of Bukavu (UCB) discussed the clean mobility model being promoted by the European Union, the Regulation of Electric Batteries and the impact that all this could have on the DR Congo, the main producer of cobalt, an essential mineral for the majority of lithium batteries.
In a way, the day was continued at the meeting of the Justice in Mining network from 27 to 30 September at the Sanctuary of Loiola. A new face-to-face meeting after three years with representatives from DR Congo, Kenya, India, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Mexico, Honduras, Belgium and Italy. A space to share up to 12 case studies with a focus on Human Rights and environmental protection, to identify "good practices" in advocacy, and to discern the future of the network.
Source : alboan.org
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