67 percent of demand minerals for energy transition from now to 2050 can be coated with recycled metals Through the implementation of austerity measures and the circular economy, according to the report of the environmental organization Friends of the Earth prepared by the CIRCE Joint Research Institute of the University of Zaragoza.
Extending the lifespan of technologies, improving metal recycling, limiting the size of electric car batteries and encouraging their reuse, and reducing the private vehicle fleet by increasing the number of buses Are the measures being considered? It reflects the study titled Minerals for Energy and the Digital Transition in Spain: demand, recycling and savings measures, where the above-mentioned percentage of mineral demand will be met by recycled metals.
Circular economy and competence
This document, presented last December, focuses on how much demand for minerals will increase with the implementation of energy and digital transition plans in Spain by 2050, and the potential for recycling and savings measures. He also concludes: The combination of circular economy and sufficiency measures will reduce demand for analyzed metals by 34% and key metals such as lithium by 50%.
Likewise, it is emphasized that by reducing demand and increasing the contribution of recycling, it is possible to reduce mineral extraction by almost half for all technologies. In this content, Renewable energy technologies are not the main source of mineral demand growth, document warnsBut mobility is mainly electric car.
Specifically, it impacts the fact that electric mobility dominates metal demand and is responsible for 79% of the accumulated demand for rare earths (dysprosium and neodymium) between 2020 and 2050; On the other hand, the 16% demand that will come from wind technologies is energy production. It also warns that electric vehicle is responsible for 54-58% of total aluminum and copper demand, or 73-92% of manganese, cobalt, nickel and lithium.
Mobility measures
Given these results, the study highlights that mobility-related measures will have the greatest impact on reducing mineral demand.
For this reason, Reducing the private vehicle fleet Reaching a passenger car fleet three times smaller than the current passenger car fleet by 2050 and increasing the number of electric buses would reduce demand by 10% to 25%, depending on the metal analyzed. On the other hand, limiting the size of vehicle batteries would reduce demand by 3 to 14%.
Responsible for Natural Resources and Waste at Friends of Earth, Adriana EspinozaHe therefore warned: “Given the commitment of corporations to an activity with proven impacts on the environment and human rights, such as mining, this report finds that the adoption of austerity measures, as well as measures to truly encourage the recycling of metals, could significantly reduce demand.
“There will not be enough minerals for everyone”
Likewise, he emphasized that the document demonstrates with concrete data that the EU approach, which approves the extraction of 10 percent of the total consumption of strategic minerals from European lands by 2030, has intensified efforts to diversify supplies from third countries and has enacted legislation on this issue. will accelerate mining projects, “it will not be possible to reflect this in southern countries.”
“There wouldn’t be enough minerals for everyoneHe criticized it, arguing that “in order to achieve a fair and sustainable energy transition, replacing fossil-based energy sources with renewable energies is not enough, because “it is essential to rethink the production and consumption model.”
Reference work: https://www.tierra.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/informe_minerales_para_la_Transicion.pdf
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