UNU Releases New Report: Critical Mineral Mining Intensifying Global Water Insecurity
The United Nations University (UNU-INWEH) has released a report revealing that the mining of critical minerals like lithium and cobalt for EVs and digital tech is causing severe water shortages, environmental pollution, and health issues in vulnerable regions. It calls for an urgent overhaul of global governance to ensure a 'just' energy transition.
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- 📰 Published: April 29, 2026 at 22:17
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## UN University Releases New Report: Mining for Critical Minerals Intensifying Water Shortages
As the popularity of electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy, and digital technologies grows, demand is surging for critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt required to produce these infrastructures and devices. In response, a new report from the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) points out that the extraction of these minerals is causing water shortages, environmental pollution, and serious health damage in mining regions.
The report, titled 'Critical Minerals, Water Insecurity and Injustice,' acknowledges that the energy transition and digitalization are essential. However, it reveals a reality where the benefits are primarily concentrated in developed nations, while an unbalanced burden is pushed onto vulnerable people in mining regions, such as the poor and indigenous communities.
According to the report, approximately 240,000 tons of lithium were produced worldwide in 2024, requiring an estimated 456 billion liters of water. This is equivalent to the domestic water usage of about 62 million people in sub-Saharan Africa for one year. In the Salar de Atacama in northern Chile, lithium mining alone accounts for up to 65% of the region's water consumption, with reports of significant drops in groundwater levels.
The uneven distribution of critical mineral reserves further exacerbates these issues. The report notes that about 16% of the world's critical mineral reserves are located in regions where water usage already exceeds supply, and 54% of minerals needed for the energy transition are located on or near indigenous lands.
Furthermore, the health impacts associated with mining critical minerals are severe. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), 72% of residents near mines have experienced skin diseases, and more than half of women and girls report gynecological health problems. Higher rates of birth defects are also observed in areas surrounding the mines. Additionally, children are engaged in labor without adequate safety measures at approximately 30% of mining sites in the country.
To achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, demand for lithium is expected to increase ninefold, and demand for cobalt and nickel is expected to double by 2040. Professor Kaveh Madani, Director of UNU-INWEH, stated, 'Simply shifting environmental burdens from the wealthy to the poor, or from one group of people or region to another, cannot be called a sustainable or just energy transition.'
The report emphasizes the need for a fundamental reform of international governance surrounding critical mineral supply chains. It proposes the introduction of legally binding international due diligence standards, strict pollution and water management including zero-liquid discharge, investment in circular economies through enhanced recycling of batteries and electronics, and ensuring fair benefit sharing and free, prior, and informed consent for indigenous communities.
Dr. Abraham Nunbog, lead author of the report, noted: 'Without correcting the lack of governance, the future of clean energy will be built on the same injustices as the fossil fuel economy of the past.'
The report 'Critical Minerals, Water Insecurity and Injustice' is available for download here.
The original English press release can be found here.
### About United Nations University
UNU is a global think tank and postgraduate teaching organization within the UN system. Headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, it is the only UN agency based in Japan. UNU’s mission is to contribute, through collaborative research and education, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems of human survival, development, and welfare that are the concern of the United Nations and its Member States. UNU comprises 13 research and training institutes located in 12 countries.
### About UNU-INWEH
The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) is one of the 13 institutes of the United Nations University. Known as the 'UN Think Tank on Water,' it addresses critical global challenges related to water, environment, and health. Based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, it contributes to solving urgent global sustainability and human security challenges through research, training, capacity building, and knowledge dissemination.
As the popularity of electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy, and digital technologies grows, demand is surging for critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt required to produce these infrastructures and devices. In response, a new report from the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) points out that the extraction of these minerals is causing water shortages, environmental pollution, and serious health damage in mining regions.
The report, titled 'Critical Minerals, Water Insecurity and Injustice,' acknowledges that the energy transition and digitalization are essential. However, it reveals a reality where the benefits are primarily concentrated in developed nations, while an unbalanced burden is pushed onto vulnerable people in mining regions, such as the poor and indigenous communities.
According to the report, approximately 240,000 tons of lithium were produced worldwide in 2024, requiring an estimated 456 billion liters of water. This is equivalent to the domestic water usage of about 62 million people in sub-Saharan Africa for one year. In the Salar de Atacama in northern Chile, lithium mining alone accounts for up to 65% of the region's water consumption, with reports of significant drops in groundwater levels.
The uneven distribution of critical mineral reserves further exacerbates these issues. The report notes that about 16% of the world's critical mineral reserves are located in regions where water usage already exceeds supply, and 54% of minerals needed for the energy transition are located on or near indigenous lands.
Furthermore, the health impacts associated with mining critical minerals are severe. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), 72% of residents near mines have experienced skin diseases, and more than half of women and girls report gynecological health problems. Higher rates of birth defects are also observed in areas surrounding the mines. Additionally, children are engaged in labor without adequate safety measures at approximately 30% of mining sites in the country.
To achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, demand for lithium is expected to increase ninefold, and demand for cobalt and nickel is expected to double by 2040. Professor Kaveh Madani, Director of UNU-INWEH, stated, 'Simply shifting environmental burdens from the wealthy to the poor, or from one group of people or region to another, cannot be called a sustainable or just energy transition.'
The report emphasizes the need for a fundamental reform of international governance surrounding critical mineral supply chains. It proposes the introduction of legally binding international due diligence standards, strict pollution and water management including zero-liquid discharge, investment in circular economies through enhanced recycling of batteries and electronics, and ensuring fair benefit sharing and free, prior, and informed consent for indigenous communities.
Dr. Abraham Nunbog, lead author of the report, noted: 'Without correcting the lack of governance, the future of clean energy will be built on the same injustices as the fossil fuel economy of the past.'
The report 'Critical Minerals, Water Insecurity and Injustice' is available for download here.
The original English press release can be found here.
### About United Nations University
UNU is a global think tank and postgraduate teaching organization within the UN system. Headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, it is the only UN agency based in Japan. UNU’s mission is to contribute, through collaborative research and education, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems of human survival, development, and welfare that are the concern of the United Nations and its Member States. UNU comprises 13 research and training institutes located in 12 countries.
### About UNU-INWEH
The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) is one of the 13 institutes of the United Nations University. Known as the 'UN Think Tank on Water,' it addresses critical global challenges related to water, environment, and health. Based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, it contributes to solving urgent global sustainability and human security challenges through research, training, capacity building, and knowledge dissemination.