ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the metals and materials that have been important to humans from the Stone Age to recent times. In the modern era, in developing a low carbon economy to arrest global temperature increases, the critical metals for our economy are changing. These are not fixed but vary from time to time and place to place. Criticality relates to what is required by a state for its technological outputs, the number of deposits around the world that can produce the commodity and the political stability of that country. Manufacturing photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, energy storage batteries and electric vehicles will shape the supply and demand for critical ‘technology metals’ such as indium, tellurium, rare earth and lithium. The increased need for more metals and materials requires exploration for new deposits and increased extraction rates. However, additional mining, together with the production of cement, steel and aluminium needed for non-carbon-based energy production significantly adds to greenhouse gases. Recycling more materials is vital to ensure sustainability for future generations as only 18 elements have recycling rates of more than 50%. Increasingly materials will be mined from developing countries and it is vital that mining should be done in a responsible manner to the benefit of all.
