Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CIRAN (CrItical RAw materials extraction in enviroNmentally protected areas)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-01-01 al 2024-06-30
Policy initiatives such as the EU Green Deal and the Net-Zero Industry Act, which aim to achieve a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions economy by 2050, are driving a significant increase in demand for mineral raw materials. However, securing a sustainable supply of critical raw materials (CRM) for the EU is challenging for four main reasons: 1) certain mineral resources are currently known to occur at only a few locations around the world, 2) commercial recovery is dominated by a single or a small number of countries, 3) politically motivated or warfare-related threats to supply chains, and 4) a fragmented and inconsistent regulatory approach affecting sustainable and responsible use of resources.
Moreover, ensuring a sustainable supply of CRM whilst adhering to the EU's environmental and social commitments is a complex task. This complexity arises from the difficulty of rapidly ramping up domestic minerals extraction and processing to achieve Green Deal objectives, while simultaneously implementing the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, against a background of complex regulatory systems, growing resource nationalism and public opposition to mining projects.
In this context, CIRAN is developing, testing and validating processes to arrive at systemic policy-making, balancing environmental protection and societal needs for accessing critical raw materials (CRMs). This will be achieved through: 1) streamlined permitting procedures in environmentally protected areas; 2) modern policies and social contract frameworks that reconcile the protection of environmentally sensitive areas and domestic sourcing of CRMs in the EU; and 3) the development of a community of practice to support the uptake of the CIRAN recommendations and that will remain active after the project funding period.
CIRAN proposes a logical framework that justifies extraction on the basis of a system-oriented assessment and the co-creation of knowledge (i.e. tested and validated by communities located in or nearby environmentally protected areas). It will create novel social contract models identifying rights, obligations and responsibilities of governments (national/regional), communities and mine operators, capable of dealing with transformations and challenges due to climate change.
As a distinctive feature, CIRAN brings together 25 external experts on the environmental, political, social, economic, and technological factors that will shape the energy transition responses and the demand for CRMs. These experts, organised in four Expert Groups (EGs), will work with the Consortium, conveying insights on policy-making and -implementation, economic drivers, technologies, mining, local governance, social capital, nature conservation and biodiversity. The EGs will actively engage in CIRAN through synergetic processes combining analysis and deliberation, and participation in project workshops and structured consultations (e.g. focus groups, foresight analysis).
The Consortium is geared to develop inclusive policy-making instruments that support the EU Green Deal and UN-led reforms to reach the climate commitments and sustainable development goals.
Moreover, ensuring a sustainable supply of CRM whilst adhering to the EU's environmental and social commitments is a complex task. This complexity arises from the difficulty of rapidly ramping up domestic minerals extraction and processing to achieve Green Deal objectives, while simultaneously implementing the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, against a background of complex regulatory systems, growing resource nationalism and public opposition to mining projects.
In this context, CIRAN is developing, testing and validating processes to arrive at systemic policy-making, balancing environmental protection and societal needs for accessing critical raw materials (CRMs). This will be achieved through: 1) streamlined permitting procedures in environmentally protected areas; 2) modern policies and social contract frameworks that reconcile the protection of environmentally sensitive areas and domestic sourcing of CRMs in the EU; and 3) the development of a community of practice to support the uptake of the CIRAN recommendations and that will remain active after the project funding period.
CIRAN proposes a logical framework that justifies extraction on the basis of a system-oriented assessment and the co-creation of knowledge (i.e. tested and validated by communities located in or nearby environmentally protected areas). It will create novel social contract models identifying rights, obligations and responsibilities of governments (national/regional), communities and mine operators, capable of dealing with transformations and challenges due to climate change.
As a distinctive feature, CIRAN brings together 25 external experts on the environmental, political, social, economic, and technological factors that will shape the energy transition responses and the demand for CRMs. These experts, organised in four Expert Groups (EGs), will work with the Consortium, conveying insights on policy-making and -implementation, economic drivers, technologies, mining, local governance, social capital, nature conservation and biodiversity. The EGs will actively engage in CIRAN through synergetic processes combining analysis and deliberation, and participation in project workshops and structured consultations (e.g. focus groups, foresight analysis).
The Consortium is geared to develop inclusive policy-making instruments that support the EU Green Deal and UN-led reforms to reach the climate commitments and sustainable development goals.
In its first half CIRAN has made significant progress towards its three Key Strategic Objectives (KSOs):
1- KSO 1 – Defining systemic and integrated permitting procedures in environmentally protected areas:
o Analysed 15 case studies of active mines in protected areas,
o Mapped regulatory frameworks at EU and Member State levels,
o Developed sensitivity maps overlaying CRM deposits with protected zones.
2- KSO 2 – Defining a modern policy and social contract framework:
o Analysed existing narratives in EU public debate on CRM extraction,
o Conducted consultations with communities leaving in and near protected areas,
o Initiated development of a new logical framework for policymaking and permitting.
3- KSO 3 – Developing an active community of practice:
o Established a LinkedIn group with 249 members,
o Held the first physical workshop with 17 experts from various countries,
o Initiated development of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).
Key achievements in the reporting period include:
• Completion of 9 public deliverables,
• Publication of 5 peer-reviewed articles and 7 conference presentations,
• Engagement with over 1,000 stakeholders through various events,
• Development of communication tools including a website, social media presence, and podcast series.
1- KSO 1 – Defining systemic and integrated permitting procedures in environmentally protected areas:
o Analysed 15 case studies of active mines in protected areas,
o Mapped regulatory frameworks at EU and Member State levels,
o Developed sensitivity maps overlaying CRM deposits with protected zones.
2- KSO 2 – Defining a modern policy and social contract framework:
o Analysed existing narratives in EU public debate on CRM extraction,
o Conducted consultations with communities leaving in and near protected areas,
o Initiated development of a new logical framework for policymaking and permitting.
3- KSO 3 – Developing an active community of practice:
o Established a LinkedIn group with 249 members,
o Held the first physical workshop with 17 experts from various countries,
o Initiated development of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).
Key achievements in the reporting period include:
• Completion of 9 public deliverables,
• Publication of 5 peer-reviewed articles and 7 conference presentations,
• Engagement with over 1,000 stakeholders through various events,
• Development of communication tools including a website, social media presence, and podcast series.
CIRAN is advancing scientific knowledge, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration, and raising awareness about the challenges of balancing CRM extraction with environmental protection in the EU. The project is on track to deliver its expected impacts, contributing to more balanced and systemic approaches to resource management policymaking and land-use decisions.