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In March 2026, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced it was investigating "structural excess capacity and production in manufacturing sectors" in 16 economies.
Hear in-depth conversations with the world’s top energy and climate leaders from government, business, academia, and civil society.
For years, the energy transition was discussed as a shift that would happen in steady, predictable increments. But a massive surge in electricity demand in recent years—now colliding...
Past Event
June 5, 2023
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm utc
As the world transitions from consuming fossil fuels-based energy into low-carbon energy sources, demand for copper, lithium, nickel, and other minerals will increase for things like electric mobility, solar panels, wind turbines, and energy storage. However, the world is not on track to get these minerals at current rates. The world’s demand for lithium is projected to increase by 40 times and that for copper to potentially double by 2040 relative to 2020 levels.
Latin America has the world’s largest deposits of both copper and lithium. Chile and Peru are the world’s leading copper producers with about 40% of global production, while Chile and Argentina account for 32% of global lithium supply. However, Latin America faces a number of social, political, environmental, and financial challenges to increase its critical minerals extraction and processing capacity.
The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs hosted a panel of experts to discuss what needs to be done to accelerate sustainable copper and lithium extraction in Latin American countries. The event focused on the challenges and opportunities that governments and industry face to turn these mineral reserves into a bridge for the energy transition globally.
Panelists:
Moderator:
The Columbia Global Energy Summit 2026 is an annual event dedicated to thought-provoking discussions around the critical energy and climate challenges facing the global community.
The event is for CUID holders only. Please note: space is limited. The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA invites Columbia University students to a...
*Registration is closed for this event. The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA's Women in Energy initiative, in collaboration with the Columbia Policy Institute, invites...
The Columbia Global Energy Summit 2024 is an annual event dedicated to thought-provoking discussions around the critical energy and climate challenges facing the global community.
The US Export-Import Bank is preparing to close the first funding tranche of Project Vault, a public-private partnership establishing the US Strategic Critical Minerals Reserve.
This paper proposes a de-risking framework of policy interventions to provide the risk allocation, revenue certainty and delivery confidence required by mainstream private finance.
