One of the most significant obstacles to the global energy transition toward decarbonization is the unprecedented amount of critical minerals required over the next two decades to support clean energy technologies (Smyth and Vespignani, 2024). Figure 1 maps the economics subdisciplines and themes:
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Figure 1: The economics of critical minerals for the energy transition
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Open Access Publications
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Kang, W., Smyth, R. and Vespignani, J., 2025. "The Macroeconomic Fragility of Critical Mineral Markets" CAMA Working Paper 21/2025 April 2025. Presentation:
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Saadaoui, J., Smyth, R. and Vespignani, J., 2025. "Ensuring the security of the clean energy transition: Examining the impact of geopolitical risk on the price of critical minerals". Energy Economics, 142, p.108195.
Vespignani, J.L., 2025. "Critical minerals for EV batteries and artificial intelligence: challenges and opportunities for ASEAN and East Asia countries". In: Critical Minerals Supply Chains Security and Resiliency in the ASEAN. Singapore: Springer, April 2025.
Smyth, R. and Vespignani, J.L., 2025. "Critical minerals, refining and secondary mining: opportunities for Australia and the Asia-Pacific region". In: Critical Minerals Supply Chains Security and Resiliency in the ASEAN, Vol. 2: Policy and Technology. Singapore: Springer, April 2025.
​Smyth, R. and Vespignani, J.L., 2024. "Artificial intelligence and critical minerals for energy transition. In: Nature Strategy Reports: Artificial Intelligence". London: Nature Research Intelligence, November 2024.
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Vespignani, J. and Smyth, R., 2024. Artificial intelligence investments reduce risks to critical mineral supply. Nature communications, 15(1), p.7304.
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Vespignani, J. and Smyth, R., 2022. "Australia's critical minerals strategy". 4 December. Australia's Critical Minerals Strategy. Department of Industry, Science and Resources (Australia).
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Smyth, R. and Vespignani, J., 2022. "Increasing Australian lithium production to meet electric vehicles and net zero global targets: A decarbonisation tax discount?" Economic Papers, 41(4), pp.385–389.
Smyth, R. and Vespignani, J., 2022 "A Proposal for a Decarbonization Tax Discount to Increase Australian Lithium Production to Meet Electric Vehicles and Net Zero Global Targets".
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