Overview
- The International Energy Agency projects a 30% global copper supply shortfall by 2035 without immediate intervention.
- China processes over 70% of the world's top 20 critical minerals, intensifying vulnerabilities in global supply chains.
- The concentration of refined material markets is expected to remain high, with the top three suppliers controlling 82% of the market by 2035.
- Lithium demand is forecasted to outpace supply by the 2030s, though prospects for new lithium projects are more favorable than for copper.
- The IEA calls for urgent government policies to diversify supply, accelerate new projects, enhance recycling efforts, and explore material substitutes to mitigate risks.