Accounting for the true costs of mining requires addressing impacts expected to persist for centuries, millennia, or longer—impacts whose end dates cannot be determined with reasonable certainty. This issue has been long overdue for attention and is particularly relevant in the context of the critical raw materials boom. These impacts, often designated as “perpetual” due to their duration, have been systematically underrepresented in environmental assessments and are rarely, if ever, discussed in many countries where governance and regulatory mechanisms are either lacking or insufficient.

Recently, the UNSG Principles on Energy Transition Minerals highlighted the issue of long-term environmental liabilities, recommending the establishment of a Legacy Fund for mitigation and remediation. Regulations such as the Extractive Waste Directive and the EU Critical Raw Materials Act also hold potential for strengthening a preventive approach.

Our study offers a conceptual framework for addressing these impacts, provides global examples, and examines various governance approaches. At the launch panel, we will discuss next steps regarding long-term and perpetual impacts in the EU and its surrounding areas of influence, as well as the implications for existing projects.

With:

• Andrés Ángel (author of the study)
• Emily Ritchey (T&E) (tbc)
• Majda Ibraković, Eko Forum Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Artur Grigoryan, Earth Rights/ Bank Watch, Armenia
• UNFC (tbc)

Information: Annette Kraus (kraus@boell.de)