Reacción a "A UN report highlights the impact of critical mineral extraction on the health of the most vulnerable"

A highly significant study with extensive photographic documentation that highlights the social and environmental impacts—primarily on the Global South—resulting from the extraction of strategic raw materials for the energy transition, the circular economy, and decarbonization driven by countries in the Global North.

The growing demand for critical minerals to meet the commitments of the Paris Agreement is shifting a substantial portion of the environmental and social costs to supplier countries, most of which are developing economies. The study indicates that these countries are, for the most part, less developed nations where safe working conditions and safety standards for the extraction of precious metals are not guaranteed. Furthermore, in many cases, the scarcity of drinking water exacerbates the population’s problems when these minerals are extracted, as it contaminates surface waters, reducing the population’s access to water.

The document provides objective data that underscores the need for harmonized international regulation establishing environmental, health, and social criteria that are enforceable on a global scale. While in many countries in the Northern Hemisphere there is high social awareness of the risks associated with mining—including the blocking of extractive projects due to public opposition—in various African and Latin American countries (such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bolivia, Togo, South Africa, and Uganda), extractive activities continue with limited oversight and documented consequences for public health and ecosystems. Thus, just as we apply these principles in Spain, the document warns of the need to ensure that our actions do not contribute to this situation existing anywhere else on the planet.