Colombia Leads Push for Global Treaty on Responsible Mining for Clean Energy Transition – COP30 Initiative Launched

Colombia has taken a significant step towards ensuring responsible and sustainable mining practices for critical minerals essential for the clean energy transition. The country has launched an initiative for a new binding global treaty on traceability for these minerals, from mining to recycling, with the goal of presenting a proposal by the COP30 UN climate conference in November 2025.

This initiative follows a recommendation from a UN panel on critical minerals, which highlighted the need for transparency platforms to promote fair and sustainable extraction of minerals for clean energy supply chains. Critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, and rare earth elements are crucial for manufacturing renewable energy technologies like solar panels, electric vehicles, and batteries.

With all countries committing to tripling the world’s renewable energy capacity by 2030, the demand for minerals is set to triple as well. However, experts have raised concerns about the potential harm to nature and communities from uncontrolled mining activities. A study in 2022 found that over half of critical mineral mining projects were located on or near Indigenous lands.

Colombia’s vice-minister of environment, Mauricio Cabrera, emphasized the importance of extracting and commercializing minerals for the energy transition responsibly and in harmony with the environment and local communities. The transparency initiative received support from various stakeholders, including the Natural Resource Governance Institute, which highlighted the need for industry scrutiny and adherence to high standards of best practice.

The UN panel on critical minerals has issued principles to guide greener and more ethical mining practices, emphasizing the centrality of human rights in the process. Brazil, as the host of COP30 and a country with vast reserves of critical minerals, is yet to join the initiative due to the need for further consultations with internal stakeholders.

Latin American countries like Chile, Peru, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina also hold significant reserves of critical minerals, further underscoring the importance of responsible mining practices in the region. The push for a global treaty on traceability for critical minerals marks a crucial step towards ensuring a sustainable and ethical clean energy transition.

(Reporting by Sebastian Rodriguez; editing by Megan Rowling)