Epistemic justice and critical minerals–Towards a planetary just transition

Abstract

Global transitions to low-carbon energy systems are heavily reliant on the large-scale extraction of critical minerals (e.g. cobalt, lithium, rare earth elements). These minerals are key components in green technological developments such as wind turbines, solar photovoltaics and electric vehicle motors. However, research has highlighted the multifaceted social and environmental costs of critical mineral extraction and processing across marginalised parts of the Global South, evidencing significant impacts on local people's health, livelihoods, human rights and land-based resources. This paper centres on epistemic justice in the critical mineral (CM) industry, an under-explored dimension of just energy transitions. Through the analysis, we identify two main forms of epistemic injustice in the CM industry: discriminatory epistemic injustice and distributive epistemic injustice. Building on Heffron's (2020) JUST framework on CM, we highlight the importance of epistemic injustice in the just transition to reveal the power dynamics, socio-environmental injustices, and exclusionary practices in the CM industry. Through bringing new insights on knowledge equity in the context of CM, we recommend creating participatory spaces for dialogue, decision-making, and knowledge sharing, which can facilitate more respectful and equitable interactions between all stakeholders, thereby contributing to more holistic understandings of a ‘planetary just transition’.