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Mining our way into a climate-neutral future – Metals & climate justice
2021
Europe needs an exorbitant amount of metals for its energy transition. Will the global South pay the price? How could we attain climate justice when it comes to the supply of metals for the Green Transition?
About the event:
This webinar is for you if you are interested in learning more about the international and intersectional approach to climate justice.
Context:
The wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicles that Europe needs to become climate-neutral require plenty of metals. We usually take for granted that these metals will be available. However, they have to be dug up from the ground and some of them are scarce. The EU countries have largely outsourced metal mining to the Global South. This creates supply risks, but also a responsibility for the social and environmental abuses associated with mining in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (cobalt), Chile (lithium) and China (rare earths).
Do local and indigenous communities in mining regions in the Global South pay the price for our green ambitions? Are women disproportionately affected? Where is the climate justice in that? Do the supply chain due diligence and the recycling initiatives that the EU is promoting represent a break with neo-colonial extractivism? What if developing countries decide to make their own cleantech instead of selling their raw materials to us?
We will tackle these questions in a webinar with experts and activists. The insights gathered at the webinar will be used for the upcoming GEF publication Metals for a green and digital Europe – an Agenda for Action. You can already contribute to this publication by commenting on the online draft: www.metalsforeurope.eu
Speakers include:
Jojo Nem Singh (@jnemsingh), Assistant Professor of International Development, International Institute of Social Studies, The Hague
Shivant Jhagroe, Assistant Professor of Public Administration, Leiden University
Benito Walker (@benito_wlkr), chair of Youth for Climate Netherlands
Richard Wouters (@richardwouters), Project leader ‘Metals for a green and digital Europe’ for the Green European Foundation & Weternschappelijk Bureau GroenLinks
Matlhogonolo Mochware – Provincial coordinator Northern Cape for Women Affected by Mining United in Action (WAMUA), South Africa
Nicola Soekoe – Paralegal and researcher at MACUA WAMUA Advice Office, South Africa
The webinar will be moderated by Kauthar Bouchallikht (@kauthar_), MP for GroenLinks, Netherlands.
Practicalities:
Date and time: Friday 11 June, from 14:00 to 16:00 CEST
Audience: This webinar will take place in English and is open to the general public.
Registrations: Click here
This event will be organised through the Zoom platform.
This project is organised by the Green European Foundation with the support of Wetenschappelijk Bureau GroenLinks and with the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this event.