During the 2024 EU Raw Materials Week in Brussels, a group of civil society organisations, in which ODG takes part, launched a “Critical Minerals Observatory”
The Critical Minerals Observatory is a new initiative from the European Network of Corporate Observatories (ENCO); a knowledge hub (critical space) to exchange ideas, resources and develop collaborative research. This Observatory will look at the strategies of transnational corporations and governments (in the Global North) to secure supplies of critical minerals in the name of the energy transition.
The aim is to provide civil society organizations, media, and public authorities with information and tools to better understand the impacts and strategies of transnational corporations and financial players in global supply chains of transition minerals. Through the development of data, case studies, and critical research reports, the Observatory seeks to strengthen public debate on these issues, supporting advocacy activities and mobilizing civil society and movements.
The observatory will highlight how these corporate strategies can affect people and the planet, creating new sacrifice zones, while giving more power to the wealthiest and ultimately undermining the energy transformation that Europe actually needs. It will also shed light on who rips the benefits, through the publication and dissemination of media articles and in-depth reports.
The Observatory is now online, featuring case studies of critical minerals and scrutinizing the corporate interests behind them.
The first contributions of ODG to this Observatory are:
- Rare Earths Elements Impacts and conflicts map
- The mine, the factory and the store
- To be launched soon: a case study of Rare Earths mining in Madagascar