There’s a lot of noise about so-called critical metals and their role in facilitating a low carbon energy system – but what are critical metals, how do they form, what are the supply and exploration challenges, and is there such thing as sustainable mining? This talk will look at the geological, environmental, and economic challenges of critical metals, and why mining activity will inevitably increase as we decarbonise society.

Dr Nick Gardiner is Senior Lecturer in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of St Andrews and leads the Geological Society’s Energy Transition theme. A geologist by training, after an undergraduate and DPhil at the University of Oxford, he worked for a decade in commodities trading. Since returning to academia, he has held research positions in Oxford and Australia, and currently runs the MSc in Strategic Earth Resources at St Andrews www.st-andrews.ac.uk/earth-sciences/people/njg7