The BRICS Policy Center/PUC-Rio held the seminar “Geopolitics of Critical Minerals in Latin America: Challenges for a Just and Sustainable Energy Transition.”

On December 2nd, the BRICS Policy Center/PUC-Rio held the seminar “Geopolitics of Critical Minerals in Latin America: Challenges for a Just and Sustainable Energy Transition.” The event brought together academics, researchers, and civil society representatives from Latin America and Brazil to discuss how the global energy transition and the need for decarbonization have pushed minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements to the center of contemporary geopolitical disputes. The seminar sought to analyze the strategic position of Latin America and Brazil in this context, exploring how the growing demand for these resources is reshaping power relations and global production chains.

During the discussions, participants highlighted the structural asymmetry within the sector: while the Global South holds the primary reserves, China, for example, maintains significant dominance in the processing and refining of these materials. The seminar questioned whether the region’s current insertion in global value chains fosters autonomous development or merely perpetuates a model in which the region exports raw resources without capturing industrial benefits.

Beyond macroeconomic issues, the social and environmental dimensions were widely addressed, emphasizing local resistance to the impacts of mining—such as water degradation and population displacement. Participants raised the fundamental issue of justice in the energy transition, criticizing a model in which socio-environmental costs are borne by local communities while profits remain distant. In the end, the seminar concluded that it is urgent to expand dialogue among governments, academia, and civil society in order to build policies that ensure a transition that is not only sustainable, but also inclusive and just.