The demand for rare metals is increasing rapidly. The security of supply of some of these metals is already jeopardised worldwide. Examples of this include indium, antimony and tantalum, which are required for the manufacture of information and communication technology and solar cells and are difficult to replace with other raw materials. The potential for conflict in the mining countries has increased - partly due to the behaviour of industrialised countries.

On behalf of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), the IZT and two research partners therefore organised an analysis and perspective workshop at the end of November 2006 to solve the problem of conflict-aggravating exploitation of rare metals. The workshop focussed on the mining of coltan ore in the Congo, where rebel groups financed themselves through illegal coltan mining, leading to considerable damage to health and the environment. What should the prospects for the future look like if major conflicts are to be avoided?

The social and ecological effects and problem areas of the exploitation of raw materials have been the subject of scientific research and public debate for years. It was increasingly recognised that the scarcity of many mineral resources (not just the fossil fuels that are so important for the functioning of the economy) also harboured considerable potential for conflict due to the rapid increase in global demand. Access to the utilisation of strategic metals, which were essential for key industrial sectors in many countries, gave rise to fears of increasing conflict. Strategic metals therefore attracted increasing attention in connection with security of supply and conflict potential. The debate centred on coltan as an example - but also other important mineral raw materials - and focused in particular on development and human rights issues and problems.

Connections between the scarcity of mineral resources, the associated potential for conflict and resource management strategies in industrialised countries raised further questions:

  • To what extent does the demand from industrialised countries (especially Europe) for rare minerals support conflicts at the site of raw material extraction and processing?
  • To what extent have the initial political and corporate reactions defused the coltan problem? What can be learnt from the conflicts in Congo?
  • What influence do local or European companies have on the extraction and processing of raw materials in developing countries?
  • How can the problem of unsustainable exploitation of raw materials in countries outside Europe and their demand be integrated into the EU's resource strategy and the policies of the EU and Germany?

 

With these questions in mind, the Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment, IZT, Adelphi Research gGmbH and the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy conducted an analysis and perspective workshop on 30 November 2006 in Berlin on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency. A description of the situation was drawn up on the following topics:

  • Technical significance of rare metals and metals for information and communication technology (IZT).
  • Significance of coltan mining in the Congo (DRC) and the economic and political interdependencies of illegal coltan extraction and utilisation along the value chain (Wuppertal Institute)
  • Measures and concepts for solving the problem of conflict-aggravating raw material exploitation (Adelphi Research).