PhD thesis:

Impacts of the Critical Mineral Industry on Sustainability and Supply Security under Future Energy Transition Scenarios

Climate and environmental policy influence energy demand, energy systems, industry, and consumption patterns, resulting in shifts in resource demand. By identifying supply regions for various resources and aligning them with resource demands in other regions, this project enables the analysis of trade dynamics. To facilitate this analysis the IMAGE model will be advanced focusing on trade of resources, including critical minerals. Building upon that, impacts of resource extraction and trade on total GHG emissions, GHG emission changes across countries, the environment, security of supply (addressing physical limitations and geopolitical factors), and broader sustainability challenges will be investigated.

To answer this research question flows and stocks of critical minerals within the integrated assessment model IMAGE will be assessed under different scenarios and (climate) policies, including demand-side mitigation pathways.

This work is part of the ENTICE project.

Supervisors

Prof. Detlef van Vuuren
Dr. Vassilis Daioglou
Dr. Oreane Edelenbosch