As the workshop demonstrated, green energy is complex. However, it should not be demonized. What was particularly striking about the presentations was how multiple studies showed that companies from the same country might act completely differently given local law, regulation and political climate. The variation might be under different national regimes, or even under different local regimes. 

Green energy is essential to both preventing catastrophic climate change and reducing the urban air pollution that plagues the developing world.¹ We heard about abuses in mining and processing, but it is essential to remember that the impact in terms of human lives and the cost to the planet is dwarfed by the impacts of fossil fuel extraction, processing and transport.² We have to remember that we cannot allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good, because there is no perfection. 

This is especially important to remember when it comes to Chinese investment in critical minerals. There has been a tendency to demonize the Chinese for conditions in a number of developing countries. Presenters brought out a number of important nuances. Firstly, as Eve Warburton pointed out, the same companies behave differently in countries with strict laws and accountability than in those with looser laws and enforcement. Secondly, as Avant, Finn and Olsen described, even within the same country, there can be vast differences in how companies operate depending on specific local conditions.  

Thus, the lesson I draw is domestic law matters. There is a need and an opportunity for the international community to focus on institution building in the countries that are central to the green transition. Depending on the country, this could be about supporting stronger legal regimes, or enforcement infrastructure or non-governmental groups to advocate and monitor. At the very moment that this is needed, it is unfortunate that global aid budgets have been slashed – most egregiously in the United States, but other countries have followed suit. The various case studies we heard demonstrated that while there are places with poor conditions, there are also places with much better conditions. There is a real need to help replicate the legal, pollical and social environments that foster cleaner extraction and processing. 

What seems clear is that depending on pressure on investing and consuming nations – which generally means China – is unlikely to work – just as it hasn’t worked in traditional fossil fuel industries or with other investing countries. A number of presentations referred to abuses related to multiple investing countries.  

China’s most important role in the green transition is to demonstrate how a country that was once almost entirely dependent on coal can make the transition and to do so when its per capita GDP is still in the middle-income range. China is now the world leader in renewables and electric vehicles.³ It also leads the world in new nuclear installations,⁴ though this was not discussed at this seminar. In my own work I show how the Chinese focus on developing demand for electricity by transitioning away from direct combustion is just as important as developing the non-fossil energy sources. This means switching to heat pumps and electric stoves in homes, something that has begun in China. It also means creating an electrified transportation network.⁵ This is where China’s experience contrasts with most other countries and provides a useful model. 

The Chinese model involves electrified transportation in multiple modes – 2 and 3 wheeled scooters, as well as standard four-wheeled vehicles, but also buses, subways and highspeed rail. The net result is an integrated system that can move people from almost anywhere to almost anywhere entirely by electricity. A key point to emphasize is that urban mass transit isn’t sufficient – people do want private transportation options. But if you provide good 2 and 3 wheeled options, they don’t necessarily have to clog the streets with full-sized automobiles. 

Overall, the workshop was a fascinating window on the multiple ways resource extraction and processing for green tech has affected communities. It shows there are ways to do so with less negative impacts. Given the enormous positive impacts of this transition, it is critical to find ways to support communities in demanding better rules and rule compliance. 

References

¹ Chien, Fengsheng, Muhammad Sadiq, Muhammad Atif Nawaz, Muhammed Sajjad Hussain, Tai Duc Tran, and Tiep Le Thanh. "A step toward reducing air pollution in top Asian economies: The role of green energy, eco-innovation, and environmental taxes." Journal of environmental management297 (2021): 113420. 

² Romanello, Maria, et al. "The 2022 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: health at the mercy of fossil fuels." The Lancet 400, no. 10363 (2022): 1619-1654. 

³ Seligsohn, Deborah and Bin Hu. “China’s Decarbonization Is So Fast Even New Coal Plants Aren’t Stopping It.” Foreign Policy, August 21, 2025. 

⁴ Enerdata, “China approves the development of 10 new nuclear reactors across 5 projects,” April 29, 2025. https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/china-approves-development-10-new-nuclear-reactors-across-5-projects.html 

⁵ Seligsohn, Deborah. “China is providing the world a roadmap to an electrified future,” The China Project, February 7, 2023. https://thechinaproject.com/2023/02/07/china-is-providing-the-world-a-roadmap-to-an-electrified-future/