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The scramble for the world's critical minerals
Oped, Rabah Arezki & Rick van der Ploeg, Published on 07/08/2025
» The world's superpowers have developed a seemingly insatiable appetite for the critical minerals that are essential to the ongoing energy and digital transitions, including rare-earth metals (for semiconductors), cobalt (for batteries), and uranium (for nuclear reactors). The International Energy Agency forecasts that demand for these minerals will more than quadruple by 2040 for use in clean-energy technologies alone. But, in their race to control these vital resources, China, Europe, and the United States risk causing serious harm to the countries that possess them.
Let's double down on resilience
Oped, Rick Holland, Published on 10/06/2024
» This year has already seen a cascade of extreme weather events -- from devastating floods in Pakistan, to scorching heatwaves in the Sahel and West Africa -- leaving an indelible mark on many parts of the world. The increasing number of lives (now already in the tens of millions) affected by extreme weather events further reminds us how vulnerable we are in the face of an increasingly volatile climate and water system.