Critical mineral supply chain fundamentals throughout a changing geopolitical landscape
![](https://www.merit.unu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PUBLIC-LECTURE-3.png)
Tom Moerenhout, Columbia University
Background
In an era of intensifying geopolitical flux, the critical mineral supply chain is a strategic frontier for global powers. This presentation delves into the pivotal role China has established in controlling critical mineral resources, their adeptness in forging international partnerships, and their unmatched dominance in mineral processing. It examines the dynamic interplay of global politics and market forces that shape these mineral supply chains. We will scrutinize the United States’ strategic initiatives to decentralize mineral dependency, fostering local extraction and processing capabilities, while also cultivating alliances to mitigate reliance on Chinese resources. We will discuss the intricate paths and hurdles inherent in diversifying supply chains, and forecast plausible scenarios by 2030. Furthermore, it evaluates the investment landscape necessary to ensure an adequate, responsibly sourced mineral supply that can support the energy transition.
Practical details
This is the first in a new series of webinars from our UNESCO Chair on Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development for Latin America. The format will be a 45 minute presentation followed by 15 minutes for Q&A. Our intended audiences are scholars and PhD students, but all are welcome to join!
Date: Tuesday 14 May 2024
Time: 14:30 - 15:30 CEST
Click here for the Zoom link to join the event.
About the speaker and discussant:
Dr. Tom Moerenhout is a Professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and leads the Critical Materials Initiative at Columbia’s Center on Global Energy Policy. His work extends to roles as Senior Advisor at the World Bank, Senior Associate at the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and Visiting Professor positions at NYU Stern School of Business and Sciences Po Paris.
Tom specializes in the intersection of geopolitics and industrial policy, particularly as they relate to the energy transition, critical materials, and battery supply chains. He has advised and consulted for a variety of stakeholders including the White House, Departments of Energy and State, USTR, DFC, and governments in several other countries including the EU, India, Nigeria, Egypt, and Iraq. His collaborative efforts span organizations such as OECD, IEA, World Bank, UNCTAD, UNEP, OPEC, IRENA, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Our discussant, UNU-MERIT PhD fellow Jorge Valverde Carbonell, is a Chilean economist. His research topics include economic complexity, international trade in global value chains, energy transition, and mineral economics. Additionally, he has written about tax regimes in copper mining and advised members of the Chilean parliament on the latest mining royalty reform in Chile.
Jorge has more than ten years of work experience in public service and consulting. Between 2012 and 2018, he served as an economic analyst for the Chilean Copper Commission and, later, as senior advisor, coordinator, and chief of staff of the Chilean Ministry of Finance. From 2018 to date, he has combined his doctoral studies with consulting for international organizations and large companies, advising the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Organization for Cooperation, Development (OECD) and CODELCO, among others.
Venue: Online (Zoom)
Date: 14 May 2024
Time: 14:30 - 15:30 CEST