Energy Security and the Mineral Imperative
As the world converges in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s 2025 meeting, energy security takes center stage. Against the backdrop of intensifying climate commitments and geopolitical tensions, the energy transition is no longer an abstract ambition but an urgent mandate. This year’s agenda draws a clear parallel: the future of energy is inextricably tied to the global supply of strategic minerals.
The energy transition, driven by a push toward renewable sources and electrification, has created unprecedented demand for materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements. These minerals, essential for batteries, wind turbines, solar panels, and hydrogen production, are reshaping the geopolitical map. Energy has always been a question of supply, distribution, and stability, but now that calculus includes the availability of critical minerals.
Davos 2025 attendees are acutely aware of the risks. The global race to secure mineral supplies is creating new power dynamics, with countries like China, Australia, and Chile holding key positions in production and processing. For Europe and the United States, building resilience into supply chains has become a strategic priority, with new investments in domestic mining and recycling aiming to reduce dependency on imports.
The conversation is underscored by urgency. Global energy leaders at Davos are highlighting that supply bottlenecks for critical minerals threaten to derail renewable energy targets. The development of energy storage systems, electric vehicle fleets, and grid-scale solar and wind infrastructure all hinge on a steady flow of these resources. Without them, the timeline for achieving net-zero carbon emissions could be pushed back by decades.
Yet the solutions being discussed in Davos reflect the same innovation and ambition that characterized the oil and gas sector’s transformation a century ago. Policymakers, corporate executives, and industry experts are advocating for a multifaceted approach: expanding mining operations in resource-rich regions, accelerating investments in advanced mineral recycling, and exploring groundbreaking technologies like asteroid mining to access extraterrestrial reserves.
As leaders at Davos reflect on the lessons of the past, they are also setting the stage for a new global framework. Just as oil pipelines and LNG terminals once defined energy security, the infrastructure for processing and refining strategic minerals will be the bedrock of tomorrow’s energy system. Countries willing to invest in these technologies and partnerships today will shape the global energy landscape for decades to come.
This year’s forum may ultimately be remembered for elevating the role of strategic minerals from a niche concern to a cornerstone of the energy transition. For those gathered in Davos, the message is clear: the race to decarbonize is also a race to secure the building blocks of a
