The report highlights extractive operations, from exploration to processing to decommissioning and rehabilitation, environmental risks are present, such as habitat loss and fragmentation, visual and noise disturbance, and pollution. Additional risks are generated by the infrastructure, (e.g., roads, railways, powerlines) created to support extractive operations, which in some cases, can have a significant environmental impact.

The research includes transition minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth minerals are seen as effectively essential for growth and innovation across industries such as clean energy, computing, transportation, and defence. Their increased demand is leading to new fears of expanding habitat destruction and disturbance, and significant pollution, in previously undeveloped habitat.