Subjects: Other Disciplines >> Synthetic discipline submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《中国科学院院刊》
Abstract: Rare earth is one of the key minerals in the global competition. At present, the global rare earth resources and supply pattern are changing, and Western countries are actively building a supply chain to replace China. This paper describes the evolution of China’s rare earth supply and demand pattern from the perspective of elements, analyzes the dislocation of supply and demand of China’s rare earth elements and the challenges it faces under the great changes, and puts forward the balanced utilization strategy of rare earth elements, which provides an optimization plan for promoting the globalization of the industrial chain and ensuring the safety of China’s rare earth resources.
Subjects: Other Disciplines >> Synthetic discipline submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《中国科学院院刊》
Abstract: The grand transition to low-carbon energy system is essential to bend the growing carbon emission and further achieve the dual carbon goals. Critical metals such as rare earth elements, lithium, cobalt, nickel, and platinum are widely considered as the material base to support low-carbon technologies. However, given the supply of those metals are scarce and risky, the emerging conflicts between their supply and demand have spurred global attention and competition among countries. This study aims to explore the linkage between critical metals and low-carbon energy systems with a particular focus on the bottlenecks of China’s supply chains of those critical metals. Accordingly, this study urges to form national strategies, together with China-oriented global governance system, to promote the simultaneous innovations and management of critical metals supply and low-carbon energy transition under the dual carbon goals.
Subjects: Other Disciplines >> Synthetic discipline submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《中国科学院院刊》
Abstract: As green and low-carbon transition has gained world-wide recognition and become the inherent requirement of fully building a modern socialist China, the consumption of critical metals will increase drastically in the next decades. Meanwhile, this will mean a continually increasing potential of critical metals recycling. Facing changes and pandemic unseen in a century and increasing geopolitical conflicts, it has become a strategic consensus on the national security level for Western countries like the United States and Europe Union to acknowledge and enhance the role of recycling in secure provision of critical metals. Here, in this article, we have discussed the future potentials and major challenges of critical metals recycling and reviewed the strategies proposed by the main industrialized countries. Based on this, we aim to help formulate China’s national strategies and countermeasures regarding critical metals recycling and thus contribute to supporting the achievement of China’s “dual carbon” ambition and its green and low-carbon transition in the next decades.
Subjects: Other Disciplines >> Synthetic discipline submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《中国科学院院刊》
Abstract: As the world’s major consumers of critical minerals and China’s primary competitors, US and the EU have developed comprehensive and systematic critical mineral strategies, which have significant impact on China’s resource security. To assist in developing China’s critical mineral strategy, by thoroughly examining the critical mineral strategies of US and EU, this study finds their strategic attempts to slow China’s development, summarizes their characteristics in the preparation, implementation mechanism, and main strategic measures, and, based on this, proposes suggestions for raising the safety level of China’s critical minerals.
Subjects: Other Disciplines >> Synthetic discipline submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《中国科学院院刊》
Abstract: China is at a critical stage of development from late industrialization to modernization, and is still in the basic conditions of energy resources supporting the sustainable development of the national economy. The world today is facing unprecedented turmoil situation since the end of the cold war. The ongoing political and military crisis in Europe has accelerated the transformation of the world’s geopolitical map and profoundly affected the global supply, demand and trade pattern of energy resources. Nowadays, the “four circles and two systems” pattern of global oil and gas supply and demand is undergoing major adjustments, and the competition in the clean energy mineral supply chain is intensifying. The three major security shortcomings of China’s important resources: seriously insufficient domestic supply, limited overseas sources and constrained transportation channels have not been significantly improved, except for energy resources such as coal and rare earths. Under the background of great power competition, uncertainties in the international environment are increasing, and the external environment for China’s development will tend to be more complex. This study provides relevant opinions and suggestions on improving the supply flexibility of domestic energy resources, scientifically planning the layout of overseas energy resources development, and actively promoting the global governance of energy resources.