Coriolis Seminar - Critical minerals for the energy transition

As Ursula von der Leyen stated in September 2022: "Lithium and rare earths will soon be even more important than oil and gas". Together with cobalt, nickel, copper, iron and graphite, these resources are essential for the energy transition. Needs are exploding and we are beginning to understand that the age of oil is being succeeded by the age of metals, some of which are "rare" (because they are diluted in the ground and complex to exploit), strategic, and... "critical" because Europe is dependent on Chinese supplies for the resilience of its economies. France has a subsoil rich in certain critical minerals, and its gigantic maritime possessions will perhaps be, tomorrow, the high point of a race for metals. But the political reaction in France is timid, French mineral diplomacy is almost non-existent and the "NIMBY" phenomenon is blocking certain mining projects. Will we be able to win the race for "21st century oil"?