Carbon neutrality needs a circular metal-energy nexus
摘要
Carbon neutrality ambitions require a clean, reliable, and affordable supply of critical metals used in low-carbon technologies ranging from wind turbines, photovoltaics, and electricity networks, to electric vehicles. Based on real-world examples and preliminary assessments, we propose a novel circular metal-energy nexus to explore their critical interlinkages and emerging challenges, highlighting the urgency of incorporating circular economy strategies into such a nexus for the deep-decarbonization of energy, metal, and other key services to boost the carbon-neutral transition. However, if these interactions were not systematically managed at the international level, the rising metal-energy conflicts could intensify geopolitical conflicts and hinder low-carbon innovations, which jeopardizes our climate-safe future. This cover presents such a symbiosis of critical metals and renewable energy in a carbon-neutral landscape.
