Critical minerals end up in weapons - Report: Rush to war is stealing resources from the climate
War has many consequences. Some are obvious, such as environmental destruction; others are more subtle, taking time to manifest but no less damaging. The race for critical minerals to produce weapons and munitions is a threat to the climate. Climate change, as experts have been shouting at us for years, beyond a certain crisis level, cares for nothing or no one, ignores wallets and hits the rich and the poor alike.
A study by the Transition Security Project, which brought together experts from the United States and the United Kingdom, reveals the environmental impact of essential mining. The report claims that the accelerating global arms race is hindering action to combat climate change. This is true for many reasons, from the environmental impact to minerals that could be used for an energy transition that are instead being diverted to military equipment.
The study describes a Pentagon focused on amassing vast reserves of minerals critical to the creation of military technologies. That is its role, but no one is stopping it, and this is due to the now unbiased policies of many countries in the fight against climate change. The same minerals would be essential for the creation of climate technologies, including solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles and energy storage batteries.
The green light also came with US President Donald Trump signing a law allowing the stockpiling of such minerals. Billions of dollars have been allocated to ensure that this growing list of minerals, essential for military equipment, is expanded as quickly as possible.
Military spending is rising, fewer resources are being allocated to climate. This is a $1 trillion budget that has the stated goal, according to the report, of enabling the United States to achieve global military dominance. It is a growing military-industrial complex, the report continues, that is distracting attention from another existential threat: the climate crisis.
While military spending has increased in recent years, both in the United States and in Russia, China and Europe, the fight against climate change is starting to lose its sense of urgency. The report also warns that this new arms race is blocking efforts to address the climate crisis, as countries are now scrambling to secure critical minerals only for the next generation of weapons.
The Pentagon plans to stockpile nearly 7,500 tons of cobalt, enough to produce 80.2 GWh of energy storage capacity, more than double the current energy storage capacity in the US and enough energy to produce approximately 100,000 electric buses.
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