Low-carbon technologies: An impending threat to forests

The transition to low-carbon technologies is highly mineral-intensive, requiring an estimated 3 billion tons of minerals and metals to achieve a below 2°C future. This demand increases the risk of deforestation and fragmentation of intact forest landscapes (IFLs), particularly in the Amazon and Congo Basin. In the Amazon, mining contributes up to 9% of IFL area loss, while in the Congo Basin, the demand for cobalt for batteries drives exploration in high-forest-cover areas. Analysis shows a gap in corporate and government governance, with only a minority of assessed companies adopting specific forest-related commitments and 78% of state and regional governments lacking forest management plans that directly address mining-related deforestation.

• The transition to low-carbon technologies is highly mineral-intensive, requiring an estimated 3 billion tons of minerals and metals to achieve a below 2°C future. Production of specific minerals, including cobalt, lithium, and graphite, could increase by nearly 500% by 2050.
• Mining operations significantly threaten intact forest landscapes (IFLs), which account for 40% of total aboveground tropical forest carbon despite comprising only 20% of tropical forest area. Between 2000 and 2013, 7.2% of IFLs were lost, a rate double that of overall global deforestation.
• In the Amazon region, mining and mineral exploration have contributed up to 9% of IFL area loss, and mining activities alone caused approximately 10% of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon between 2005 and 2015. Currently, 13% of mines at the feasibility or exploration stage are located within IFLs.
• The Congo Basin faces increased exploration activities as rising metal prices make previously unviable reserves attractive. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a critical source of cobalt for electric vehicle and smartphone batteries, supplying over 65% of the global market, with this share expected to exceed 75% by 2023.
• There is a significant lack of specific forest governance among stakeholders: only 11% of assessed companies have 'No Net Loss' commitments and 20% have 'Net Positive impact' commitments. Additionally, 78% of state and regional governments do not have forest management plans that directly address deforestation and degradation from mining.

APA

Forest Declaration Assessment (2021). Low-carbon technologies: An impending threat to forests. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CDP_NYDF_Low_carbon_technologies.pdf

Chicago

Forest Declaration Assessment. Low-carbon technologies: An impending threat to forests. 2021. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CDP_NYDF_Low_carbon_technologies.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Forest Declaration Assessment |title=Low-carbon technologies: An impending threat to forests |date=February 2021 |url=https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CDP_NYDF_Low_carbon_technologies.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forestdeclarationassessment2021lowcarbon, author = {{Forest Declaration Assessment}}, title = {{Low-carbon technologies: An impending threat to forests}}, institution = {Forest Declaration Assessment}, year = {2021}, month = feb, url = {https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CDP_NYDF_Low_carbon_technologies.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }