G20 is a group of 19 countries and the EU which works to address issues on a global scale. This year India is the hosting country for this meet. One of the most pressing issues at the current stage is clean energy transition. The primary source of generating energy is largely fossil fuels, which emit a lot of Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide. To reduce this generation of greenhouse gasses, steps are being taken towards de-carbonization. To achieve de-carbonization globally, minerals to build technology to produce green energy are needed on a
large scale. One of the blind spots of energy transition is the supply and demand of these elements. When the transition takes place, the countries which hold the power to extract and process these elements is going to play a key part in the geopolitical power play. For example, currently the EU is 98% dependent on China for rare earth elements. Also to obtain these elements, the scale of mining has to be increased. But while doing so, appropriate care must be taken as to not violate any human rights or open societies. These issues about instability in the political and economic power during the transformation of energy resources must be tackled to ensure peace and avoid non-violent activities in the future. A Climate Safe Future is a Necessary Condition for Peace.
Soumil Karandikar, M.E.S. Abasaheb Garware College of Arts and Science
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