At the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the need for a just and equitable energy transition. He warned against a “stampede of greed” that could exploit local communities and harm the poor.
Photo: Jean-Marc Ferré (UN Geneva)
“We are here to respond to a key challenge: turning the energy transition towards justice,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, asking the participants at a roundtable discussion to weigh in on the work of his Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals.
The panel launched last year at COP28 in the United Arab Emirates with the aim of bringing together governments, international organizations, industry and civil society to develop common and voluntary principles to guide extractive industries “in the name of justice and sustainability”.
Guterres stated: “For developing countries rich in those resources, this is a huge opportunity to generate prosperity, eliminate poverty and to drive sustainable development. But, too often, this is not the case. Too often we see the mistakes of the past repeated in a stampede of greed that crushes the poor.
We see a rush for resources, with communities exploited, rights trampled and environments trashed; we see developing countries ground down to the bottom of value chains as others grow wealthy on their resources. And the Panel was established in response to the calls from developing countries for action.”
He emphasized that the global energy transition, necessary to reduce emissions and move away from fossil fuels, must be fair and equitable. Mr. Guterres highlighted the risk of unregulated mining companies exploiting communities in mineral-rich countries, calling for their greater involvement in his panel on critical energy transition minerals, established at last year’s climate summit.
Guterres underscored the significant opportunity to support developing countries rich in the minerals required for renewable energy. He recommended implementing measures for traceability, transparency, and accountability across the entire mineral value chain to promote responsible production, safeguard human rights, and protect the environment.
Sources: UN News and UN podcast