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Metals in a Low-Carbon Economy: Resource Scarcity, Climate Change and Business in a Finite World (Policy brief)

This policy brief, based on a report written as part of a partnership between the business leaders’ initiative 3C (Combat Climate Change) and the Stockholm Environment Institute, examines the use of five metals in low-carbon technologies: cobalt, lithium, neodymium, indium and tellurium.

Matthew Chadwick, Elena Dawkins, Katy Roelich / Published on 26 March 2012
Citation

Dawkins, E., K. Roelich, R. Falk and M. Chadwick (2012). Metals in a Low-Carbon Economy: Resource Scarcity, Climate Change and Business in a Finite World (Policy brief). SEI Policy Brief, Stockholm, Sweden.

Low-carbon technologies such as photovoltaics, wind power, and electric and hybrid vehicles are likely to play a key role in climate change mitigation. Yet several of these technologies depend on metals which are becoming scarce and this could hinder large-scale deployment.

The authors use a custom-built scenario calculator to estimate future supply and demand for five metals – cobalt, lithium, neodymium, indium and tellurium – under three energy scenarios and three global minerals market scenarios. They find a severe risk of medium- and long-term cumulative deficits of indium and tellurium, a moderate risk of medium-term and severe risk of long-term deficits of neodymium, and a limited risk of long-term deficits of cobalt and lithium.

The policy brief also examines how businesses and governments are responding to metal scarcity, and identify strategies to make low-carbon technologies less vulnerable to potential future supply bottlenecks.

Download the policy brief (PDF: 766kb)

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