Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê

The publication of Critical Minerals: potential next stepsÌýfollows Pickett’s, a Committee Specialist at the House of Commons, Parliamentary Fellowship at ISRÌýin July–July 2024. In the 4-week placement he looked into the UK’s progress on the Critical Minerals Strategy, speaking to academics from across the institute with specialisms in mining, circular economy, international development, and energy policy.

It proved to be an insightful placement, and Lewis said:

"I am very lucky to have had the time during dissolution to do a short placement with the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê’s Institute for Sustainable Resources. Having this time to step out of my day job had lots of benefits, but the biggest benefit by far was just the opportunity to talk to academics about their work and draw on their expertise. I don’t do this enough in my day-to-day work and I should.

I was impressed not only by the depth of expertise of the people I spoke to, but also their ability to communicate clearly and persuasively.

I was looking at critical minerals to get a better understanding of the next steps the UK Government may wish to take. The conversations I had really opened my eyes to the complexities involved with solving this problem, not only practically but ethically too. It can be hard to bridge the gap between policy and academia sometimes, but this placement brought home the value of doing so."

What are the potential next steps for the new government?

1. Clarify the UK’s industrial priorities.
2. Outline where the UK should position itself in the critical minerals value chain.
3. Articulate the UK’s offer to international partners.
4. Outline the UK’s approach to developing a circular economy for critical minerals.
5. Leverage the UK’s strengths to enhance international governance, coordination and standards.

ReadÌý'Critical Minerals: potential next steps'

Ìý

With thanks to the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê Public Policy team for organising the parliamentary fellowship scheme.

Image credit

Unsplash:ÌýLuke Stackpoole