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{{Short description|Governement views on important raw materials}}
{{Short description|Governement views on important raw materials}}
Governments designate '''critical raw materials''' (CRM) as critical for their economies so there is no single list of such [[raw material]]s as the list varies from country to country as does the definition of critical.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/what-are-critical-minerals-and-what-is-their-significance-for-climate-change-action/|title=What are ‘critical minerals’ and what is their significance for climate change action?|website=Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment}}</ref> They include [[Technology-critical element]]s, [[Rare-earth element]]s and [[Strategic material]]s.
Governments designate '''critical raw materials''' (CRM) (also referred to as '''critical materials''' or '''critical minerals''') as critical for their economies so there is no single list of such [[raw material]]s as the list varies from country to country as does the definition of critical.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/what-are-critical-minerals-and-what-is-their-significance-for-climate-change-action/|title=What are 'critical minerals' and what is their significance for climate change action?|website=Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment}}</ref> They include [[technology-critical element]]s, [[rare-earth element]]s and [[strategic material]]s.
[[File:Price-developments-of-minerals-and-metals-by-category-january-2020-april-2024.png|thumb|Price movements of critical materials<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iea.org/reports/global-critical-minerals-outlook-2024/executive-summary|title=Executive summary – Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2024 – Analysis|website=IEA}}</ref>]]
[[File:Demand for energy transition minerals.jpg|thumb|Demand for key energy transition minerals in 2023<ref>{{Cite report|title=Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2024|url=https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/ee01701d-1d5c-4ba8-9df6-abeeac9de99a/GlobalCriticalMineralsOutlook2024.pdf|publisher=International Energy Agency|date=2024}}</ref>]]


==History and background==
==Definitions==
Analyzing the historical development of country approaches to critical materials, David Peck discusses the interplay between those that emphasize economic growth ("tech will fix it") and those that argue that finite resources will be exhausted ("limits to growth"). These two approaches are a feature of debate around critical materials and both are important, while countries also act in self-interest as well as responding to geopolitical tensions.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Critical materials : underlying causes and sustainable mitigation strategies | author=David Peck|chapter= 5.A Historical Perspective of Critical Materials, 1939 to 2006| editor=S. Erik Offerman|publisher=World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd|date=2018|isbn =9789813271043}}</ref>
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=== US===
⚫
2023 Final Critical Materials List includes the following<ref>https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/08/04/2023-16611/notice-of-final-determination-on-2023-doe-critical-materials-list</ref>:


==Terminology and Country Definitions==
Critical materials for energy: aluminum, cobalt, copper, dysprosium, electrical steel, fluorine, gallium, iridium, lithium, magnesium, natural graphite, neodymium, nickel, platinum, praseodymium, silicon, silicon carbide and terbium together with
For advanced industrial economies the commonly used terms "critical minerals" or "critical raw materials" refer to materials required for their strategic industries where there is a risk of interruption to supply.<ref>{{Cite report|title=What Makes Minerals and Metals "Critical"? A practical guide for governments on building resilient supply chains|author= Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development|url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-05/igf-what-makes-minerals-metals-critical.pdf|publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development|date=May 2024}}</ref> The [[Minerals Security Partnership]] (MSP) is a [[transnational association]] whose members seek to secure a stable supply of raw materials for their economies.<ref name="mspann">{{cite news |title=Minerals Security Partnership MEDIA NOTE |url=https://www.state.gov/minerals-security-partnership/ |publisher=US Department of State |date=14 June 2022 |access-date=5 May 2023 |archive-date=5 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505180015/https://www.state.gov/minerals-security-partnership/ |url-status=live }}</ref>On 5 April 2024, MSP partners launched the Minerals Security Partnership Forum to enhance cooperation in respect of CRM critical to "green and digital transitions".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_24_1807 | title=Press corner }}</ref>


===Criticality===
⚫
Critical minerals: Aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barite, beryllium, bismuth, cerium, cesium, chromium, cobalt, dysprosium, erbium, europium, fluorspar, gadolinium, gallium, germanium, graphite, hafnium, holmium, indium, iridium, lanthanum, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, neodymium, nickel, niobium, palladium, platinum, praseodymium, rhodium, rubidium, ruthenium, samarium, scandium, tantalum, tellurium, terbium, thulium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, ytterbium, yttrium, zinc, and zirconium.
According to the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF), criticality has no agreed definition, varies with time, and is specific to country and context.<ref>{{Cite report|title=Critical minerals: A primer|url=https://www.igfmining.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/critical-minerals-primer-en-WEB.pdf|publisher=The Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development|date=2022}}</ref>

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=== US===
⚫
2023 Final Critical Materials List includes critical materials for energy (sometimes known as the "electric 18"){{efn|aluminum, cobalt, copper, dysprosium, electrical steel, fluorine, gallium, iridium, lithium, magnesium, natural graphite, neodymium, nickel, platinum, praseodymium, silicon, silicon carbide and terbium}} together with 50 critical minerals.{{efn|Aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barite, beryllium, bismuth, cerium, cesium, chromium, cobalt, dysprosium, erbium, europium, fluorspar, gadolinium, gallium, germanium, graphite, hafnium, holmium, indium, iridium, lanthanum, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, neodymium, nickel, niobium, palladium, platinum, praseodymium, rhodium, rubidium, ruthenium, samarium, scandium, tantalum, tellurium, terbium, thulium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, ytterbium, yttrium, zinc, and zirconium.
⚫
}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/08/04/2023-16611/notice-of-final-determination-on-2023-doe-critical-materials-list | title=Notice of Final Determination on 2023 DOE Critical Materials List | date=4 August 2023 }}</ref>


===EU===
===EU===
[[File:Critical Raw Materials list (CRMs list), summary of 2011, 2014 and 2017.jpg|thumb|Figure gives a summary of critical raw materials lists reported by the European Commission in 2011, 2014 and 2017]]
The [[Critical Raw Materials Act]] came into effect on 23 May 2024. It specifies a list of 34 CRMs, including 17 raw materials considered strategic<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/raw-materials/areas-specific-interest/critical-raw-materials_en|title=Critical raw materials - European Commission|website=single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.globalpolicywatch.com/2024/05/the-eu-critical-raw-materials-act-enters-into-force/|title=The EU Critical Raw Materials Act enters into force|first=Carole Maczkovics, Sam Jungyun Choi, Matthieu Coget, Cándido García|last=Molyneux|date=May 17, 2024|website=Global Policy Watch}}</ref>:
Bauxite, Coking Coal, Lithium, Phosphorus, Antimony, Feldspar, Light rare earth elements, Scandium, Arsenic, Fluorspar, Magnesium, Silicon metal, Baryte, Gallium, Manganese, Strontium, Beryllium, Germanium, Natural Graphite, Tantalum, Bismuth, Hafnium, Niobium, Titanium metal, Boron/Borate, Helium, Platinum group metals, Tungsten, Cobalt, Heavy rare earth elements, Phosphate Rock, Vanadium, Copper, Nickel.
The [[Critical Raw Materials Act]] came into effect on 23 May 2024. It specifies a list of 34 CRM, including 17 raw materials{{efn|Bauxite, Coking Coal, Lithium, Phosphorus, Antimony, Feldspar, Light rare earth elements, Scandium, Arsenic, Fluorspar, Magnesium, Silicon metal, Baryte, Gallium, Manganese, Strontium, Beryllium, Germanium, Natural Graphite, Tantalum, Bismuth, Hafnium, Niobium, Titanium metal, Boron/Borate, Helium, Platinum group metals, Tungsten, Cobalt, Heavy rare earth elements, Phosphate Rock, Vanadium, Copper, Nickel.}} considered strategic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/raw-materials/areas-specific-interest/critical-raw-materials_en|title=Critical raw materials - European Commission|website=single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.globalpolicywatch.com/2024/05/the-eu-critical-raw-materials-act-enters-into-force/|title=The EU Critical Raw Materials Act enters into force|first=Carole Maczkovics, Sam Jungyun Choi, Matthieu Coget, Cándido García|last=Molyneux|date=May 17, 2024|website=Global Policy Watch}}</ref>

===UK===
The ''Critical Minerals Strategy, Resilience for the Future''<ref>{{Cite report|title=Resilience for the Future: The United Kingdom's Critical Minerals Strategy|publisher=HM Government|date=July 2022}}</ref> was published in July 2022, updated<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/critical-minerals-refresh|title=Critical minerals refresh|website=GOV.UK}}</ref> in March 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.womblebonddickinson.com/us/insights/articles-and-briefings/uk-strategy-critical-minerals|title=The UK Strategy for Critical Minerals &#124; Womble Bond Dickinson|website=www.womblebonddickinson.com}}</ref> As of December 2023, the UK does not produce any of the 18 identified highly critical CRM{{efn|Antimony, Bismuth, Cobalt, Gallium, Graphite, Indium, Lithium, Magnesium, Niobium, Palladium, Platinum, Rare Earth Elements, Silicon, Tantalum, Tellurium, Tin, Tungsten, Vanadium}}<ref>https://www.hfw.com/app/uploads/2024/04/004438-HFW-CLIENT-GUIDE-The-UK-Critical-Minerals-Strategy.pdf</ref>while a watchlist of increasingly critical materials includes Iridium, Manganese, Nickel, Phosphates and Ruthenium.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.twobirds.com/en/insights/2023/uk/what-is-the-uks-critical-minerals-strategy-and-how-does-it-compare|title=What is the UK's Critical Minerals Strategy, and how does it compare to the EU's and Australia's strategies?|website=www.twobirds.com}}</ref>

===China===
On November 30, 2023, the Ministry of National Security of China defined critical minerals{{efn|aluminium, antimony, beryllium, boron, chrome, coal, cobalt, copper, fluorite, gallium, germanium, graphite, indium, iron, lithium, manganese, molybdenum, natural gas, nickel, niobium, petroleum, potassium, rare earths, rhenium, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, uranium, vanadium and zirconium}} as "those irreplaceable metal elements and mineral deposits used in advanced industries, such as new materials, new energy, next-generation information technology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, edge-cutting equipment manufacturing, national defense, and military sectors."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.fastmarkets.com/insights/four-key-critical-minerals-in-china-likely-to-be-under-the-spotlight-at-afa-2024/ | title=Four key critical minerals in China likely to be under the spotlight at AFA 2024 | date=22 February 2024 }}</ref>

==Geopolitical risk==
There is an increased focus on supply chains in general and for critical materials specifically, highlighted by US-China competition. China is the biggest producer of 30 of the US 50 critical minerals as well as being a significant player in downstream processing and manufacture.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/resource-realism-the-geopolitics-of-critical-mineral-supply-chains|title=Resource realism: The geopolitics of critical mineral supply chains|website=www.goldmansachs.com}}</ref>

A 2024 analysis from the [[World Economic Forum]] states that potential scarcity of critical materials arising from the [[Energy transition]] will be driven by demand factors and suggests ways for governments to address the uncertainties involved. <ref>https://www.weforum.org/publications/energy-transition-and-geopolitics-are-critical-minerals-the-new-oil/</ref><ref>{{Cite report|title=Energy Transition and Geopolitics: Are Critical Minerals the New Oil?|url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Energy_Transition_and_Geopolitics_2024.pdf|publisher=World Economic Forum|date=April 2024}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Circular economy]]
*[[Conflict resource]]
*[[Conflict resource]]
*[[List of elements facing shortage]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
==Notes==
{{notelist}}


== Bibliography ==
⚫
[[Category:Natural resources]]
[[Category:Minerals]]


*{{Cite book|title=Critical materials : underlying causes and sustainable mitigation strategies|editor=S. Erik Offerman|publisher=World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd|date=2018|isbn =9789813271043}}
{{stub}}
*{{Cite book|title=Critical Materials and Sustainability Transition|editor =Dr. Arda Işıldar & Dr. Eric D. van Hullebusch|publisher=CRC Press/Balkema|date=2024|isbn=978-1-003-21892-0}}

== External links ==
*[https://rmis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/topic/critical%20raw%20materials RMIS Raw Materials Information System Critical Raw Materials]

⚫
[[Category:Minerals]]

Latest revision as of 07:14, 30 September 2024

Governments designate critical raw materials (CRM) (also referred to as critical materials or critical minerals) as critical for their economies so there is no single list of such raw materials as the list varies from country to country as does the definition of critical.[1] They include technology-critical elements, rare-earth elements and strategic materials.

Price movements of critical materials[2]
Demand for key energy transition minerals in 2023[3]

History and background

[edit]

Analyzing the historical development of country approaches to critical materials, David Peck discusses the interplay between those that emphasize economic growth ("tech will fix it") and those that argue that finite resources will be exhausted ("limits to growth"). These two approaches are a feature of debate around critical materials and both are important, while countries also act in self-interest as well as responding to geopolitical tensions.[4]

Terminology and Country Definitions

[edit]

For advanced industrial economies the commonly used terms "critical minerals" or "critical raw materials" refer to materials required for their strategic industries where there is a risk of interruption to supply.[5] The Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) is a transnational association whose members seek to secure a stable supply of raw materials for their economies.[6]On 5 April 2024, MSP partners launched the Minerals Security Partnership Forum to enhance cooperation in respect of CRM critical to "green and digital transitions".[7]

Criticality

[edit]

According to the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF), criticality has no agreed definition, varies with time, and is specific to country and context.[8]

US

[edit]

2023 Final Critical Materials List includes critical materials for energy (sometimes known as the "electric 18")[a] together with 50 critical minerals.[b][9]

EU

[edit]
Figure gives a summary of critical raw materials lists reported by the European Commission in 2011, 2014 and 2017

The Critical Raw Materials Act came into effect on 23 May 2024. It specifies a list of 34 CRM, including 17 raw materials[c] considered strategic.[10][11]

UK

[edit]

The Critical Minerals Strategy, Resilience for the Future[12] was published in July 2022, updated[13] in March 2023.[14] As of December 2023, the UK does not produce any of the 18 identified highly critical CRM[d][15]while a watchlist of increasingly critical materials includes Iridium, Manganese, Nickel, Phosphates and Ruthenium.[16]

China

[edit]

On November 30, 2023, the Ministry of National Security of China defined critical minerals[e] as "those irreplaceable metal elements and mineral deposits used in advanced industries, such as new materials, new energy, next-generation information technology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, edge-cutting equipment manufacturing, national defense, and military sectors."[17]

Geopolitical risk

[edit]

There is an increased focus on supply chains in general and for critical materials specifically, highlighted by US-China competition. China is the biggest producer of 30 of the US 50 critical minerals as well as being a significant player in downstream processing and manufacture.[18]

A 2024 analysis from the World Economic Forum states that potential scarcity of critical materials arising from the Energy transition will be driven by demand factors and suggests ways for governments to address the uncertainties involved. [19][20]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "What are 'critical minerals' and what is their significance for climate change action?". Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment.
  2. ^ "Executive summary – Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2024 – Analysis". IEA.
  3. ^ Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2024 (PDF) (Report). International Energy Agency. 2024.
  4. ^ David Peck (2018). "5.A Historical Perspective of Critical Materials, 1939 to 2006". In S. Erik Offerman (ed.). Critical materials : underlying causes and sustainable mitigation strategies. World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. ISBN 9789813271043.
  5. ^ Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (May 2024). What Makes Minerals and Metals "Critical"? A practical guide for governments on building resilient supply chains (PDF) (Report). International Institute for Sustainable Development.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "Minerals Security Partnership MEDIA NOTE". US Department of State. 14 June 2022. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Press corner".
  8. ^ Critical minerals: A primer (PDF) (Report). The Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development. 2022.
  9. ^ "Notice of Final Determination on 2023 DOE Critical Materials List". 4 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Critical raw materials - European Commission". single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu.
  11. ^ Molyneux, Carole Maczkovics, Sam Jungyun Choi, Matthieu Coget, Cándido García (May 17, 2024). "The EU Critical Raw Materials Act enters into force". Global Policy Watch.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Resilience for the Future: The United Kingdom's Critical Minerals Strategy (Report). HM Government. July 2022.
  13. ^ "Critical minerals refresh". GOV.UK.
  14. ^ "The UK Strategy for Critical Minerals | Womble Bond Dickinson". www.womblebonddickinson.com.
  15. ^ https://www.hfw.com/app/uploads/2024/04/004438-HFW-CLIENT-GUIDE-The-UK-Critical-Minerals-Strategy.pdf
  16. ^ "What is the UK's Critical Minerals Strategy, and how does it compare to the EU's and Australia's strategies?". www.twobirds.com.
  17. ^ "Four key critical minerals in China likely to be under the spotlight at AFA 2024". 22 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Resource realism: The geopolitics of critical mineral supply chains". www.goldmansachs.com.
  19. ^ https://www.weforum.org/publications/energy-transition-and-geopolitics-are-critical-minerals-the-new-oil/
  20. ^ Energy Transition and Geopolitics: Are Critical Minerals the New Oil? (PDF) (Report). World Economic Forum. April 2024.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ aluminum, cobalt, copper, dysprosium, electrical steel, fluorine, gallium, iridium, lithium, magnesium, natural graphite, neodymium, nickel, platinum, praseodymium, silicon, silicon carbide and terbium
  2. ^ Aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barite, beryllium, bismuth, cerium, cesium, chromium, cobalt, dysprosium, erbium, europium, fluorspar, gadolinium, gallium, germanium, graphite, hafnium, holmium, indium, iridium, lanthanum, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, neodymium, nickel, niobium, palladium, platinum, praseodymium, rhodium, rubidium, ruthenium, samarium, scandium, tantalum, tellurium, terbium, thulium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, ytterbium, yttrium, zinc, and zirconium.
  3. ^ Bauxite, Coking Coal, Lithium, Phosphorus, Antimony, Feldspar, Light rare earth elements, Scandium, Arsenic, Fluorspar, Magnesium, Silicon metal, Baryte, Gallium, Manganese, Strontium, Beryllium, Germanium, Natural Graphite, Tantalum, Bismuth, Hafnium, Niobium, Titanium metal, Boron/Borate, Helium, Platinum group metals, Tungsten, Cobalt, Heavy rare earth elements, Phosphate Rock, Vanadium, Copper, Nickel.
  4. ^ Antimony, Bismuth, Cobalt, Gallium, Graphite, Indium, Lithium, Magnesium, Niobium, Palladium, Platinum, Rare Earth Elements, Silicon, Tantalum, Tellurium, Tin, Tungsten, Vanadium
  5. ^ aluminium, antimony, beryllium, boron, chrome, coal, cobalt, copper, fluorite, gallium, germanium, graphite, indium, iron, lithium, manganese, molybdenum, natural gas, nickel, niobium, petroleum, potassium, rare earths, rhenium, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, uranium, vanadium and zirconium

Bibliography

[edit]
  • S. Erik Offerman, ed. (2018). Critical materials : underlying causes and sustainable mitigation strategies. World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. ISBN 9789813271043.
  • Dr. Arda Işıldar & Dr. Eric D. van Hullebusch, ed. (2024). Critical Materials and Sustainability Transition. CRC Press/Balkema. ISBN 978-1-003-21892-0.
[edit]
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