The Double Discourse on the Energy Transition

In this Opinion Paper, Fabián Andrés León Peñuela and Valentina Muñoz Bernal from the Business and Human Right Resource Center in Colombia take a look at the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) that was passed by the EU in March 2024. The Act aims to ensure a secure, diversified, affordable, and sustainable supply of 37 minerals considered critical or indispensable for strategic sectors of the Union, such as renewable energy, digital, space, defence, and health industries. The authors argue that with the CRMA, the EU prioritieses it's own access to resources on the expense of possibly deleterious impacts on the environment, people and human rights in raw materials producer countries. After taking a critical look on strategic partnerships and the role of certifications in the context of the CRMA, they conclude with three points that need to be considered for a Just Transition in relation to raw materials policy:

• An economic model based on shared prosperity. This includes guaranteeing a decent life for people living in mining areas.
• A genuine commitment from the public and private sectors to protect human rights, with a clear focus on due diligence and risk prevention in the interest of communities and workers.
• In the case of projects to extract strategic raw materials, communities and workers must be involved in fair negotiations on these projects and, among other things, receive adequate compensation if negative impacts occur.