European Union ne critical minerals ki ahmiyat ko samajh liya hai taake ek mustaqbil mein hamwar aur sustainable tijarat ka markaz ban sake.
Lekin agar mining industry ke insani haqooq ki taur tareekhi aur mahol ko tawajjuh na di jaye toh ye mumkin hai ke is koshish mein nakami ho aur raw materials tak pohanchne aur climate change ko kam karne ki koshishain kamzor ho jayein.
Glencore
Mining company Glencore ne das saal se zyada ka waqt liya hai Peru ke ilaqa Espinar mein copper nikalne mein. Is doran, mahaul aur logon mein zahiri tor par toxic metals ka mojood hona darust hai. Lekin haal hi mein Peru ki hukumat ne tasleem kiya hai jo zameen par tha, ke Glencore ke Antapaccay operations aur Espinar mein pollition mein wabasta hai. Company ne ab tak maqrooz inaami communities ke sath sulah nahi ki hai.
Copper
Copper aur doosre harz minerals ke demand jo ke green tech mein istemal hoti hai, mein izafah ho raha hai. Lekin ab tak sirf kuch mulk hi is resource ko mine aur refine kar rahe hain. China misal ke tor par, rare-earth mining mein 70% aur duniya ke (natural) graphite, cobalt, lithium, aur manganese processing mein 50% hissa dene wala hai. Ukraine ki jang ke baad, Europe mein log ek hi mulk par itemaad karne mein ehtiyaat barat rahe hain.
“Race is on” clean-energy technology ko mustaqbil mein dominate karne ke liye, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ne March mein kaha jab unho ne Critical Raw Materials Act announce kiya, jo European Union ke mojooda dependencies ko kam karne ka maqsad rakhta hai. Ye United States ke Inflation Reduction Act ka jawab hai, jo critical minerals ki domestic supply ko barhane ka azm shamil karta hai.
Industrial policy ka izhar sirf ye saboot nahi hai ke duniya raw materials ki ahmiyat ko samajh rahi hai. International Energy Agency ne is saal pehli bar critical minerals aur unke role in the green transition par global summit rakha. Haal hi mein, UN Secretary-General António Guterres ne United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) mein duniya ke leaders ko copper, lithium, cobalt, aur doosre critical minerals ki buland demand ko pura karne ke liye kaise tareeqay par ghaur kiya.
Iska matlab hai ke mining industry, jo ke UN ne insani haqooq ke liye high-risk sector qarar diya hai, energy transition mein laazmi hissa ada karegi. Is context mein, bohot se European leaders tayyar hain ke wo industry ke insani haqooq ki taur tareekhi aur mahol ko nazar andaz karein. Lekin in masail ko nazar andaz karna EU ki koshishain raw materials tak pohanchne aur climate change ko kam karne mein nuqsaan pahuncha sakta hai.
Apne taqreer mein, Guterres ne ye bhi kaha ke critical minerals ki nikasi “mustaqil, insaaf aur insaf ke taur par” ki jani chahiye taake “maazi ke ghaltiyon ka dohrana” na ho, jo ke rich world ne tareekhi tor par in viksit hone wale mulkoon ki qudrati asasat ki dharaein istemaal kar ke kiya. Is nateeje ko rokne ke liye, unho ne government, industry, aur civil-society leaders se mushtarka panel banane ka elaan kiya hai jo ke extractive industries ke liye ikhtiyarat hawalay karti hai.
Jabke ye koshishain sahi raaste par qadam uthana hain, ye kaafi nahi hongi ke sustainability rules ko follow kiya jaye. Critical Raw Materials Act ke zariye, EU raw-materials ke husool, tajwez kiya gaya hai ke EU resource-rich mulkoon ke sath mutabadil tijarat ki partnershipein banaye aur critical-mineral mining, processing, aur recycling ke liye strategic projects ko promote kare. Lekin jald bazi mein purane amal dobara shuru ho sakte hain. Iske ilawa, compliance ke monitoring ko kam se kam bloc ke ilawa ke projects ke liye private certification providers par outsource kiya jayega.
Certification systems ne mining aur raw-materials sectors mein qabil ehtiyat insani haqooq aur maholi hifazatiyat nahi pesh ki hai. Misal ke tor par, German certification company TÜV SÜD ne Brumadinho, Brazil ke qareeb ek dam ki surat mein safety ko tasdeeq ki thi, sirf kuch mahine baad wo dam gir gaya aur is hadse mein hazaron log mar gaye. Haal hi mein, BMW ke cobalt supplier ki taraf se chalai jane wale ek mine jo ke Responsible Minerals Initiative ne certify kiya tha, usse pata chala ke ye mine qareebi jheelon mein zehrili miqdaar mein arsenic chhod raha tha.
EU ko ziada efektive tools ki zarurat hai. Supply Chain Due Diligence Directive ka tasawwur, jo companies ko apne supply chains mein adverse environmental aur human-rights practices se rokne ka farz karegi, ye lazmi hai aur isko raw-materials sector mein ahmiyat rakhe jane ke liye financial firms par bhi laagu kiya jana chahiye. Iske ilawa, EU ko UN Binding Treaty on Business and Human Rights ke liye muzakrat mein aktive role lena chahiye, taake multinationals ko pabandiyan lagai jayen jisse ke wo mahol aur local communities ko nuqsaan pohancha sakein, jaise ke Espinar mein hua.
Barabar ahmiyat hai ke samjha jaye ke copper, iron, aur doosre materials ki demand mein kya chezein shamil hain aur isko kis tarah kam kiya ja sake. Jaise ke automobile industry, ye kuch materials ke bohot zyada istemal karti hai. Germany ke construction aur transport sectors bhi wahan ke demand ke main drivers hain, energy transition ke bajaye. Ye ishara karta hai ke European policymakers ko energy-efficient public-transportation systems banane, chhote vehicles aur batteries ko promote karne, aur circular economy ko barhava dena chahiye.
Jabke
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change material consumption ko global warming ko kam karne ke liye kam karne ki salahiyat rakhta hai, ye paighaam renewables ki taraf tezi se barhne mein gum ho gaya hai. Lekin is tareeqay se be shak koam hai: critical minerals ki extraction aur processing mein bohot zyada pani ki zarurat hoti hai aur is se mahol ko nuqsaan pohanchta hai. OECD ke mutabiq, sirf saath metals – iron, aluminum, copper, zinc, lead, nickel, aur manganese – 7% global greenhouse-gas emissions ke liye zimmedar hain.
EU ko demand kam karne, aur due diligence ke liye ziada sakhti aur fauri tajaweezat ke liye tawaja dena chahiye taake wo maholi nuqsaan aur insani haqooq ki pabandiyan rok sake aur sath hi apne maqsad ko pura kar sake ke wo ek mustaqbil mein azad aur mustahkam bloc banaye.