Voices of impacted communities for the UNSG Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals

The briefing highlights the negative environmental and social impacts of critical mineral extraction in Argentina, Indonesia, and Guinea, arguing that the UN Secretary-General's Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals must center the voices of affected communities to avoid 'green extractivism'. It documents issues such as the violation of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in lithium mining, pollution and labor abuses in nickel downstreaming, and the loss of agricultural land in bauxite mining. The document concludes with recommendations for governments and companies to protect indigenous rights, ensure transparency in GHG emissions, and end the criminalization of environmental defenders.

• In the Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc basin of Argentina, lithium mining projects led by companies such as Pan American Energy, Pluspetrol, and Tecpetrol are accused of using the energy transition to "greenwash their polluting record". These projects often proceed without Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), ignoring the community-developed "Kachi Yupi" procedure and violating ILO Convention 169.
• Lithium extraction in Argentina's Jujuy province causes severe water scarcity and environmental degradation, as the process requires "millions of litres of fresh water". This has led to the depletion of freshwater aquifers, salinisation, and contamination of water sources essential for farming and daily use.
• Indonesia's nickel industry, particularly in North Maluku and Sulawesi, utilizes "captive coal" power plants for mining and smelters, which contribute to the global climate crisis and local air pollution. Projects like the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) have resulted in polluted water sources, damage to marine ecosystems, and respiratory issues for residents due to thick dust from hauling activities.
• The nickel sector in Indonesia is associated with poor labor conditions, including "inadequate equipment and low wages", which lead to increased accidents, on-site injuries, and deaths. Additionally, local communities face land disputes, forced evictions, and criminalisation for speaking out.
• Bauxite mining in Guinea's Boké region, specifically by the Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée (CBG)—a joint venture involving Rio Tinto, Alcoa, and Dadco—has led to the exploitation of land without customary landowner consent. This has resulted in the destruction of springs and the loss of agricultural land, with projections that bauxite mining will eliminate "858 km2 of agricultural land" and destroy over "4,700 km2 of natural habitat" over the next 20 years.
• In 2019, 13 communities in Guinea filed a complaint against the International Finance Corporation (IFC) regarding a $200 million loan to CBG, alleging a lack of effective redress and mitigation measures. While a dispute resolution process is ongoing, the document states that "the vast majority of harms remain unaddressed".

APA

Trend Asia (2024). Voices of impacted communities for the UNSG Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals. https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Voices-briefing_final-1.pdf

Chicago

Trend Asia. Voices of impacted communities for the UNSG Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals. 2024. https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Voices-briefing_final-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Trend Asia |title=Voices of impacted communities for the UNSG Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals |date=2024 |url=https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Voices-briefing_final-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{trendasia2024voices, author = {{Trend Asia}}, title = {{Voices of impacted communities for the UNSG Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals}}, institution = {Trend Asia}, year = {2024}, url = {https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Voices-briefing_final-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }