Energy Cafe – Critical Metals and the Energy Transition

Dr Nick Gardiner kicks off our Energy Cafe series for the semester with his talk ‘Critical Metals and the Energy Transition’.

There’s a lot of noise about so-called critical metals and their role in facilitating a low carbon energy system – but what are critical metals, how do they form, what are the supply and exploration challenges, and is there such thing as sustainable mining? We look at the geological, environmental, and economic challenges of critical metals, and why mining activity will inevitably increase as we decarbonise society. 

Dr Gardiner is a petrologist at the University of St Andrews whose research focuses on the magmatic and metamorphic processes that have shaped the evolution of Earth’s lithosphere, and the development of its metal resources, from the Archaean to the present day.

Note: This will be an in-person event at the University of St Andrews. Register on EventBrite now.