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Friends of the Earth International denounces US-led imperialism and the actions of the US and Israel, asserting that military aggression and economic warfare—including sanctions and blockades—cause severe humanitarian crises and environmental degradation. The organization argues that imperialist control over resources, including oil and critical minerals, prolongs the fossil fuel era and threatens the climate. It calls for an end to these aggressions, the redirection of war funding toward global repair, and the dismantling of corporate power and far-right influence to achieve environmental and social justice.

The report examines the shift in U.S. energy policy from 2020 to 2026, highlighting a conflict between the second Trump administration's efforts to roll back clean energy initiatives and a persistent bipartisan congressional consensus on 'clean firm' energy. While the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) significantly curtailed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax credits and rescinded grant funding, key credits for nuclear, geothermal, and carbon capture remained. The administration has aggressively targeted wind, solar, and electric vehicles through deregulation and the cancellation of billions in obligated funding, while the federal workforce has seen a significant loss of STEM expertise. However, the report notes that annual appropriations processes have partially mitigated the administration's requested spending cuts, and billions in prior clean energy outlays remain in place.

This case study by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the risks posed by LKAB's proposed Per Geijer mining project to the Gabna sameby. The study introduces a new human rights impact assessment (HRIA) methodology specifically adapted for Sami reindeer husbandry to evaluate how industrial projects affect indigenous rights to land and culture.

The report examines the 'electrotech fast-track' for 74 Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) nations, arguing that rapid cost declines in solar, batteries, and electric end-use technologies allow these countries to bypass the 'fossil detour'. It highlights that 46% of CVF nations, by electricity demand, have already surpassed the US in solar penetration. The document details how solar is now less capital-intensive than fossil fuels and how decentralized solar-battery systems are becoming cheaper than grid extension for remote areas. It further argues that transitioning to electrotech reduces the $155 billion annual fossil fuel import drain and leverages CVF nations' strategic assets in critical minerals and manufacturing to gain geopolitical influence.

The document details Indonesia's strategic position in the global minerals market, particularly nickel, driven by aggressive downstream processing policies and export bans. It highlights the economic significance of mining (11% of GDP) and the associated environmental costs, including rising energy-sector emissions and deforestation. Socially, it notes significant gender disparities in the mining workforce and the prevalence of artisanal mining risks.

The document introduces investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) as a mechanism allowing foreign investors to bring claims against host states before international tribunals. It highlights that the mining sector is one of the most frequent targets of such claims, which can result in large monetary awards and delay regulatory reforms. The brief details how consent for ISDS is established through investment treaties, domestic laws, and contracts, and notes a growing trend of claims linked to the demand for critical minerals. It concludes with recommendations for governments to manage ISDS risks through inter-agency coordination, thorough documentation, and legal coherence.

Zambia, the world's 10th-largest copper producer, seeks to diversify its economy by moving beyond raw mineral exports. While the country has strong midstream capacity, refining and downstream manufacturing remain limited. The report identifies critical bottlenecks, most notably unreliable electricity and high logistics costs, and recommends a phased strategy: first scaling smelting and refining to capture immediate revenue, then building the infrastructure and skills necessary for high-value manufacturing. It emphasizes that Zambia's low-carbon energy mix is a strategic advantage for attracting global buyers seeking sustainable copper.

The report analyzes the role of Indian state governments in localizing the EV and battery supply chain, arguing that while central policies provide strategic direction, states control critical levers like land, power, and regulatory clearances. It finds that net localization for high-cost components like batteries and motors remains below 20%. The study categorizes 14 states into 'leading', 'aspirational', 'emerging', and 'differentiated' based on their policy strength and manufacturing competitiveness. Key recommendations include shifting toward indirect equity investment models to de-risk upstream battery production, establishing a design-linked incentive for R&D, and introducing phased zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandates to create demand certainty.

The report analyzes Africa's high level of commodity dependence, noting that commodity exports constituted 90% by value of all merchandise exports in 2021. It argues that this dependence often leads to the 'resource curse,' characterized by poor governance, political corruption, and slow economic growth. While some countries like Botswana have attempted to manage resources through sovereign wealth funds, many others face volatility and 'Dutch disease.' The text also highlights how the global energy transition is shifting demand toward minerals like cobalt and lithium, and how climate change is exacerbating vulnerability by reducing agricultural yields in regions such as the Sahel.

The report analyzes the evolution of state governance in the Global South, identifying a disconnect between political participation and institutional capacity. It employs a horizon scan across five domains and develops four scenarios—the Growth World, Sustainable World, Divided World, and World at War—to model potential governance trajectories. Key findings highlight the rise of hybrid governance, the destabilizing effect of extreme inequality, and the urgent need for anticipatory governance to manage systemic shocks like the global debt crisis and climate vulnerability.

The Kuala Lumpur Declaration demands that developed countries fulfill their climate debt through grant-based finance, including an estimated USD 5.1–6.8 trillion by 2030. It advocates for a global Fossil Fuel Treaty, the rejection of 'false solutions' like carbon removal and nuclear power, and the dismantling of restrictive intellectual property regimes to accelerate technology transfer. The declaration further calls for tripling adaptation finance by 2035 and scaling the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage to hundreds of billions of dollars annually.

The report examines the strategic partnership between Nigeria and China within the context of Nigeria's energy transition. It highlights a shift in Chinese engagement from 'debt-heavy, state-directed mega-projects' to 'smaller, more commercially oriented and locally embedded projects' under a 'BRI 2.0' approach. While Nigeria faces severe energy gaps—with peak generation at 5.7 GW against a 20 GW demand—it aims for universal electricity access by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2060. The report details specific collaborations in solar assembly, battery manufacturing, and green hydrogen, while advising Nigeria to 'stack' diverse capital sources from China, the EU, and the US to avoid geopolitical zero-sum traps. It concludes that Nigeria must strengthen institutional coordination to address asymmetries in bargaining power and ensure technology transfer.

In 2025, African nations faced a fragmented global order characterized by US strategic retrenchment and intensifying competition over critical minerals. The year was marked by the first G20 summit on African soil in South Africa, which pushed for reforms in sovereign credit rating practices and international financial support. While some states like Nigeria and Kenya increased domestic resource mobilization to counter US aid cuts, others in the Horn of Africa became focal points for geopolitical rivalry involving Israel and Gulf Arab states. Additionally, the Lobito Corridor emerged as a key site for US and EU efforts to counter Chinese dominance in critical mineral supply chains, though this development is accompanied by governance risks in the DRC and Zambia.

In 2025, African states navigated a multipolar landscape marked by a transactional US approach under the second Trump administration, which led to aid cuts and a push for domestic resource mobilisation in countries like Nigeria and Kenya. The AU-EU partnership faced skepticism over the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), while South Africa's hosting of the G20 Summit resulted in the G20 Africa Engagement Framework and proposals to reform sovereign credit rating practices. Geopolitical competition intensified in the Horn of Africa, exacerbated by Israel's recognition of Somaliland, and along the Lobito Corridor, where the US and EU compete with China to secure critical mineral supply chains and midstream processing capacity.

The report documents systemic exploitation by Chinese-owned extractive companies in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Avatar New Energy Materials Company Limited is found to be in flagrant violation of the Nigerian Labour Act and ILO Convention 98, employing a coercive labour regime with 12-hour shifts, no breaks, and a strict prohibition on unionisation. Hong Tai Quarry Company Limited is accused of failing to implement a 2021 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gurku chiefdom, neglecting promised social investments and causing environmental degradation through blasting and dust pollution. Additionally, the report identifies economically imbalanced land lease agreements by Hong Tai Quarry that result in the economic dispossession of landowners through low, inflation-eroded compensation and a lack of environmental remediation clauses.

The report examines the governance of copper and lithium in Chile, highlighting a significant gap between international sustainability principles and territorial realities. Through case studies in Tarapacá and Antofagasta, it identifies critical failures in indigenous participation, water management, and the equitable distribution of mining royalties. While the 2023 National Lithium Strategy is noted as a step toward state control and sustainability, the document argues that a just transition requires binding community participation, transparent fiscal management, and regional economic diversification to avoid reproducing historical extractivist inequalities.

The report analyzes the governance of energy transition minerals in Colombia, focusing on copper and nickel. Through case studies of the Quebradona project and the Cerro Matoso mine, it identifies systemic failures in environmental mitigation, human rights protections, and benefit distribution. It argues that current regulatory frameworks are insufficient to prevent the 'enclave economy' model and proposes seven priority safeguard areas—including mandatory environmental licensing for exploration and strengthened prior consultation—to align Colombian mining with a just energy transition.

The document examines energy storage as a structural resource for flexibility in Latin American electrical systems facing high penetration of variable renewable energy. It highlights that while Chile leads in battery deployment to manage curtailment, other countries like Colombia, Peru, and Brazil are at earlier stages, often focusing on reliability or specific industrial uses. The report argues that the primary barriers to deployment are institutional and regulatory rather than technological, and recommends shifting from a capacity-focused approach to a functional one that prioritizes specific flexibility needs.

The document analyzes the tension between existing WTO trade rules and the needs of countries to secure critical minerals for the energy transition. It argues that current 'critical minerals diplomacy'—characterized by non-binding sectoral partnerships among developed nations—creates power asymmetries and 'selective delegalization' that disadvantage producer economies. The author suggests that the WTO could serve as a more neutral platform for a plurilateral critical minerals initiative or a code of best practices to balance supply-side industrialization goals with demand-side security needs.

The report defines clean firm generation as dispatchable, low-emission electricity sources that do not rely on weather, including nuclear fission, fusion, geothermal, and carbon-capture-enabled fossil or bioenergy. It argues that integrating these technologies can significantly lower the total amount of wind, solar, and storage capacity needed, thereby reducing land use, critical mineral requirements, and overall system costs. The authors identify a 'missing middle' or 'valley of death' in financing for these capital-intensive projects and propose a multi-layered policy approach—combining RD&D, direct procurement, and technology-neutral targets—to achieve systemic bankability.