Countries worldwide are moving to a future without fossil fuels to mitigate the effects of climate change. This transition will involve phasing out the fossil fuels used for electricity generation, the liquid fuels used for transportation and the gas that is used to heat homes. To achieve the transition, a range of materials, known as critical materials or critical minerals are essential. These range from the lithium needed for batteries to store power to the neodymium needed for the magnets that convert motion to electricity in wind turbines. Critical Materials for a Low-carbon Economy looks at the science behind some of the materials that will be essential to this transition. Beginning with an introduction to the origins of climate change and the importance of critical materials this book is split into chapters focusing on different technologies. In addition to describing the science behind the need for these materials it also discusses issues around supply chains and geopolitical considerations.

Critical minerals play a vital role in the ongoing energy transition, which aims to shift global energy systems towards more sustainable and low-carbon alternatives. These minerals, also known as critical minerals, are essential components in various clean energy technologies such as wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems. They possess unique properties that enable efficient energy generation, storage, and transmission. For instance, neodymium, a rare earth element, is crucial for the production of high-performance magnets used in wind turbines and electric motors. Lithium, another critical mineral, is a key component in rechargeable batteries powering electric vehicles and energy storage solutions. As the demand for clean energy technologies continues to rise, securing a sustainable and reliable supply of critical minerals becomes increasingly important to support the global energy transition and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. In this book, we investigate various aspects of critical mineral governance in the context of sustainability transition. We give perspectives around the critical metal requirements of sustainability transition in a forward-looking manner. We discuss the answers to the following questions: What role do the critical raw materials play in the transition to a sustainable economy and energy systems transformation? What are the bottlenecks in achieving a sustainable critical material supply? How do the critical minerals enable renewable energy transition and sustainable development? What is their role in the sustainability transition? How is mineral criticality assessed? And how critical are minerals? What are some regional differences in terms of critical mineral availability, processing capacity, and the supply chain? What strategy should be followed in deciding between primary raw materials and secondary raw materials in supplying critical raw materials for the transition to a sustainable economy? What is the (known) critical material budget, and how does it fit with the climate pledges? The authors of the chapters of this book take a multi-perspective approach and provide insights from industrial ecology, environmental engineering, and sustainable management of natural resources. The information provided will help readers to understand critical metal requirements of present and future key technologies and will help societies to develop and implement sustainable supply strategies.

Understanding future supply and demand of raw materials and the associated environmental and social implications is essential to supporting the transition towards greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050. In this Special Issue, we present a range of research papers with a focus on future outlooks of material supply and use, the consideration of associated environmental and social implications, and issues of raw material criticality and a circular economy. These are complemented by an editorial paper that provides, amongst other aspects, an overview of the corresponding policy and institutional framework. Knowledge of materials availability, their use patterns in modern economies, and associated environmental and social trade-offs is essential for informed decision-making in support of the necessary transition towards more resource-efficient and greenhouse-gas-neutral societies in the coming years.

The Making of Low Carbon Economies looks at how more than two decades of sustained effort at climate change mitigation has resulted in a variety of new practices, rules and ways of doing things: a period of active construction of low carbon economies. From outer space observations of the carbon in tropical forests, to carbon financial reporting, and insulating solid masonry walls, these diverse things, activities and objects are integral to how climate change has been brought into being as a problem. The book takes a fresh look at society’s response to climate change by examining a diverse array of empirical sites where climate change is being made real through its incorporation into everyday lives – a process of stitching climate concerns into the discourse and practices of already existing economies, as well as creating new economies. The Making of Low Carbon Economies adds fresh insights to economic sociology and science and technology studies scholarship on the multiple origins and heterogeneous operation of markets, demonstrating the constraints and opportunities of an economic framing of the problem of climate change. It covers the obvious (and now well-researched) topic of carbon markets, as well as new more unusual material on the low carbon reframing of already existing markets and economies.

The ambition of most countries across the world is to develop a low-carbon economy, evidenced by the fact that the vast majority of countries have signed the Paris COP21 agreement. This book contends that this global societal transition to a low-carbon economy must be just. As such, it will be an invaluable and accessible reference for scholars from all research disciplines who aim in their research to see a fairer, more equitable and inclusive world where sustainability is at the fore and climate targets are achieved. This is the first in-depth and original analysis to explore the central importance of law in achieving a just transition to a low-carbon economy. In addition, it advances the JUST framework, a unique framework for assessing the just transition. This important research and theoretical tool provides a practical perspective as it ensures the geographical space and timelines of development are factored into analysis. The research also provides analysis on the just transition movement around the world and the influence of international institutions. Through several case studies on Just Transition Commissions and Critical Mineral Development, the book details and demonstrates key elements of justice, including distributive, procedural, restorative, recognition, and cosmopolitan justice. It is clear from the analysis that while these are vast areas for analysis, if applied in practice, they all centrally contribute to ensuring society will advance in achieving a just transition to a low-carbon economy.

This seven-volume set LNCS 14054-14060 constitutes the proceedings of the 25th International Conference, HCI International 2023, in Copenhagen, Denmark, in July 2023. For the HCCII 2023 proceedings, a total of 1578 papers and 396 posters was carefully reviewed and selected from 7472 submissions. Additionally, 267 papers and 133 posters are included in the volumes of the proceedings published after the conference, as “Late Breaking Work”. These papers were organized in the following topical sections: HCI Design and User Experience; Cognitive Engineering and Augmented Cognition; Cultural Issues in Design; Technologies for the Aging Population; Accessibility and Design for All; Designing for Health and Wellbeing; Information Design, Visualization, Decision-making and Collaboration; Social Media, Creative Industries and Cultural Digital Experiences; Digital Human Modeling, Ergonomics and Safety; HCI in Automated Vehicles and Intelligent Transportation; Sustainable Green Smart Cities and Smart Industry; eXtended Reality Interactions; Gaming and Gamification Experiences; Interacting with Artificial Intelligence; Security, Privacy, Trust and Ethics; Learning Technologies and Learning Experiences; eCommerce, Digital Marketing and eFinance.

This book, from noted materials selection authority Mike Ashby, provides a structure and framework for analyzing sustainable development and the role of materials in it. The aim is to introduce ways of exploring sustainable development to readers in a way that avoids simplistic interpretations and approaches complexity in a systematic way. There is no completely "right" answer to questions of sustainable development – instead, there is a thoughtful, well-researched response that recognizes concerns of stakeholders, the conflicting priorities and the economic, legal and social aspects of a technology as well as its environmental legacy. The intent is not to offer solutions to sustainability challenges but rather to improve the quality of discussion and enable informed, balanced debate. - Winner of a 2016 Most Promising New Textbook Award from the Textbook and Academic Authors Association - Describes sustainable development in increasingly detailed progression, from a broad overview to specific tools and methods - Six chapter length case studies on such topics as biopolymers, electric cars, bamboo, and lighting vividly illustrate the sustainable development process from a materials perspective - Business and economic aspects are covered in chapters on corporate sustainability and the "circular materials economy" - Support for course use includes online solutions manual and image bank

As one of the eighteen field-specific reports comprising the comprehensive scope of the strategic general report of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, this sub-report addresses long-range planning for developing science and technology in the field of energy science. They each craft a roadmap for their sphere of development to 2050. In their entirety, the general and sub-group reports analyze the evolution and laws governing the development of science and technology, describe the decisive impact of science and technology on the modernization process, predict that the world is on the eve of an impending S&T revolution, and call for China to be fully prepared for this new round of S&T advancement. Based on the detailed study of the demands on S&T innovation in China's modernization, the reports draw a framework for eight basic and strategic systems of socio-economic development with the support of science and technology, work out China's S&T roadmaps for the relevant eight basic and strategic systems in line with China's reality, further detail S&T initiatives of strategic importance to China's modernization, and provide S&T decision-makers with comprehensive consultations for the development of S&T innovation consistent with China's reality. Supported by illustrations and tables of data, the reports provide researchers, government officials and entrepreneurs with guidance concerning research directions, the planning process, and investment. Founded in 1949, the Chinese Academy of Sciences is the nation's highest academic institution in natural sciences. Its major responsibilities are to conduct research in basic and technological sciences, to undertake nationwide integrated surveys on natural resources and ecological environment, to provide the country with scientific data and consultations for government's decision-making, to undertake government-assigned projects with regard to key S&T problems in the process of socio-economic development, to initiate personnel training, and to promote China's high-tech enterprises through its active engagement in these areas.

This report produced in co-operation with the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Transport Forum (ITF) and the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) identifies the misalignments between climate change objectives and policy and regulatory frameworks across a range of policy domains.

This book examines how Africa can secure a ‘just transition’ to low-carbon, climate-resilient economies.