Harmonizing Energy Transition with Ecosystem Preservation: CE Perspectives from the Global South

This session invites you to reflect on what constitutes a sustainable use of nature in the context of the ongoing energy transition. While the importance of minerals in reducing CO2 emissions, particularly in the Global North, is widely recognized, it is equally crucial to preserve ecosystem functionality and support non-metallic economic trajectories that sustain local populations. This approach helps prevent mass migrations in the Global South and safeguard the fragile functions of ecosystems.

The global push for a “green” energy transition has heightened the demand for minerals, intensifying extractive activities, particularly in the Global South. Regions such as the Latin American highlands, including the Atacama Desert (shared by Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia), have become focal points of extractive activities. These regions are home to indigenous communities like the Collas and Atacameños, whose sustainable socio-environmental and economic practices have preserved local ecosystems for centuries.

However, the dominant energy transition model, currently driven by private actors and the consumption model in the Global North, is marked by intensive resource extraction and disruption of natural ecosystems, often sidelining the biophysical limits of these regions. This not only threatens biodiversity and ecosystem functionality but also endangers the livelihoods, ancestral knowledge, and cultural heritage of indigenous and local populations.

To ensure a truly sustainable and inclusive energy transition, there is an urgent need to integrate circular economy principles that respect ecosystem limits and enable coexistence between extractive and non-extractive economic trajectories. Such integration can safeguard biodiversity, uphold community resilience, and provide a pathway to equitable development in the Global South.

This accelerator session at WCEF2025 will serve as a platform to amplify the voices of the Global South and propose actionable pathways for a just and inclusive energy transition. By integrating circular economy principles that respect ecological limits, we can work towards a future that balances economic growth, ecosystem preservation, and cultural heritage.