Restricted areas from mining

The rush for critical raw materials for the energy transition, AI boom, and military sector is posing a threat to natural forests and some of the planet’s most important ecosystems. Many of these minerals are in biodiversity hotspots which overlap with Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ lands.

We need a truly green and just energy transition. To prevent further damage, some places on earth must be declared off-limits for mining - in all circumstances.

Without strong safeguards and ambitious policies to use less minerals through sufficiency, efficiency, and technological substitutions, the rush for minerals risks replicating the extractivism and injustices of business-as-usual.

Current approaches to responsible sourcing remain fragmented and inconsistent. Environmental protections and human rights standards vary widely across governments, mining companies, investors, and supply chains. In many regions, regulations are weak, poorly enforced, and being rolled back in the name of economic growth or national security.

The argument for Restricted Areas from mining – and the criteria for determining these places - are laid out in detail in this discussion paper developed by Rainforest Foundation Norway, Mighty Earth, Greenpeace International and Fern. It is accompanied by a Global Restricted Areas Map defined by Greenpeace International to identify areas with high ecological, natural and social values that should be off-limits to extractive activities such as transition mineral mining. This will help limit global average temperature rise to no more than 1.5-degree Celsius, while also respecting other crucial interconnected planetary boundaries and the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

Read the briefing

Categories: Reports, Critical minerals