By Marina Grossi*
The global race to decarbonize is already redefining investments, supply chains, and strategic priorities. By 2025, investments in low-carbon energy technologies will hit a record high worldwide, totaling US$2.3 trillion, according to BloombergNEF.
To move forward, however, this transition requires a structural element: essential minerals. Wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries demand a greater variety of minerals than carbon-intensive technologies, such as combustion engines and thermal power plants. Electrifying and decarbonizing the energy system inevitably involves a more robust and efficient mineral supply chain.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that demand for minerals essential for the energy transition should triple by 2030 (a 3.5-fold increase) and quadruple by 2040, in line with the net-zero emissions scenario. Amid this global race, Brazil occupies a strategic position: it boasts one of the world's greatest geological diversities, a developed mineral sector, and a renewable energy matrix—a combination that can differentiate it not only by volume but also by climate competitiveness.
It was in this context that the Essential Minerals Coalition emerged. The initiative was born at the invitation of the president of COP30, Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, and is led by the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), Vale, and the Brazilian Mining Institute (IBRAM), with the participation of companies such as Alcoa, Anglo American, CBA, and Michelin, among others. Throughout 2025, workshops and technical analyses consolidated recommendations delivered to the COP30 Presidency and the federal government.
The main merit of this process was transforming a fragmented theme into a shared strategy, in a collaborative and pre-competitive effort. The Coalition allowed for greater cohesion in the sector in the face of a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape and organized a technical path towards decarbonization and value creation.
There is a milestone that translates this coordination into practical consequences: based on the work of the Coalition, IBRAM, then chaired by Raul Jungmann, established the emission reductions indicated in the study as sectoral targets, with commitments for 2035 and 2050. In a global environment that demands traceability and verifiable targets, this alignment strengthens the sector's credibility and signals predictability for investments.
The Coalition also integrates a broader set of initiatives led by CEBDS — Transport, Energy and Agribusiness. Together, the four coalitions brought together 270 entities, including companies, government and civil society, to build consensus aligned with science and Brazilian climate goals.
In the case of essential minerals, the report highlights three major areas where the mineral sector can contribute to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. The first is the expansion of the production of critical minerals, fundamental to technologies such as batteries, electric vehicles, and photovoltaic panels. In rare earth elements, for example, currently at the center of geopolitical disputes, Brazil possesses the second-largest reserves in the world, but still has low exploration and refining capacity. The government has been seeking agreements to boost this capacity, such as the American investment in a Brazilian mining company and the bilateral agreement between Brazil and India, signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in February.
The second front is the decarbonization of mining. The study indicates that it is feasible to significantly reduce emissions from the sector by 2050, combining biofuels, fleet electrification, renewable energy, and the recovery of degraded areas. Because it has a renewable electricity matrix, Brazil has the conditions to build one of the lowest carbon-intensive mining industries in the world, provided it ensures scale and investment.
The third area of focus is the contribution via the iron ore supply chain. As the world's second-largest producer, Brazil can support the decarbonization of the international steel industry by expanding the supply of lower-carbon solutions, such as pellets and briquettes produced in the country. By reducing emissions in iron ore production, the country also contributes to reducing emissions from the global steel supply chain that uses this input.
This potential, however, depends on five enabling conditions: a regulatory and economic environment that makes decarbonization viable, including instruments such as carbon pricing; technological advancement and R&D; adequate infrastructure; green financial instruments that reduce risks; and market mechanisms that value products with lower carbon intensity.
Raul Jungmann, former president of IBRAM and former minister who passed away in January, stated that "mining is an essential pillar of the solution to the climate crisis." His legacy reinforces the direction indicated by the Coalition: a mining sector capable of responding to the energy transition with competitiveness, governance, and climate ambition.
The energy transition will require more minerals — and it will also require more responsibility, coordination, and a long-term vision. Brazil possesses natural assets, productive capacity, and an energy matrix that place it in a unique position on this agenda. Transforming this advantage into effective leadership depends on aligning business strategy, public policies, and investment. The Coalition demonstrates that the Brazilian mineral sector is willing to take on this challenge and contribute to a competitive, sustainable energy transition that is compatible with global climate goals.
* Marina Grossi is the president of CEBDS (Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development), an organization with 29 years of experience and more than 110 large member companies, and Special Envoy of the COP30 Presidency for the Business Sector.
