A cobra effect in a greening world: can Earth scientists find the antivenin?

The planned energy transition signed by world’s nations in the Paris agreement sets the target to phase out fossil fuels by mid-century. This “green reset” requires a build-up of fossil fuel-free energy capacities (in production, end-use, and storage) which will entail on an unprecedented demand in mineral resources. While the Earth crust hosts such resource in sufficient quantities, I will highlight the key bottlenecks in bringing these metals to the market and show that the target cannot be met in the allocated timeframe. Finally, I will explore the way earth scientists can cushion the commodity race until nations decide on and implement a better plan.