A new Forests and Finance Coalition report finds top financial institutions, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and BlackRock, support mining companies linked to deforestation, land-grabs, contamination and Indigenous rights violations. According to the report, from 2016-24, major banks provided $493 billion in loans and underwriting to mining companies, including Glencore, Rio Tinto and Vale. As of June 2025, investors held $289 billion in bonds and shares of 111 transition mineral companies. The report focuses on financing for companies mining critical minerals used in the global energy transition, including lithium, nickel, graphite and cobalt. Nearly 70% of these transition mineral mines overlap…
Author: TJ Markle
More than 13 million acres of federal land is open for coal leasing, the Interior Department announced Monday as part of a coordinated effort with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Department to increase the domestic production and use of a fuel source that’s been declining in the U.S. for years. The amount of land the Interior Department made available for coal extraction is triple the amount called for in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that President Donald Trump signed in July. Trump has long prized coal as “beautiful,” “clean” and “abundant” despite much of the world moving…
Specialists and assembly members warn about attempts to modify the environmental protection law for Argentina’s strategic water reserves, while denouncing systematic non-compliance and pressure from extractive corporations. 15 years after its final approval, the Glaciers Law (26.639) faces new challenges in a context of accelerated climate crisis and strong pressure from the mining sector to relax its environmental protections. In a conversation with historical participants of this struggle, it was revealed that an advanced draft identical to the one leaked in 2017 exists, aiming to eliminate the protection of the periglacial environment, crucial for the water supply of mountain communities. The law, approved in 2010 after a presidential veto in 2008, is considered unique in the world for its exclusive dedication to glacier…
Goldman Sachs warned that export data indicates increased rates of transshipments from China to the U.S. through third-party countries—a similar pattern observed during the 2018 trade war. The tariff evasion taking place today could impact more than $200 billion in U.S. imports, costing the U.S. $40 billion in tariff revenue if efforts to curb the sidestepping aren’t mitigated, bank analysts Joseph Briggs and Megan Peters said in a report. Earlier this month, Torsten Sløk, chief economist at Apollo Global Management, estimated the Trump administration’s tariff efforts will bring in a “very significant” $350 billion in annual revenue. As Trump imposes sweeping…
Mexican exports of steel and aluminum to the United States registered declines of 29% and 20%, respectively, during the first seven months of 2025, a drop attributed to tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, according to data from the US Department of Commerce (DoC). The tariffs, applied under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, were initially set at 25% in March 2025 before being increased to 50% in June 2025. As a result, the value of Mexican steel exports fell to US$1.59 billion, and aluminum exports dropped to US$403 million between January and July. This decrease has…
Argentina’s groundbreaking discovery of a massive mineral deposit, worth $337 billion, is set to reshape global mining dynamics. In a moment that could drastically change South America’s mining landscape, a recent discovery in Argentina has unlocked the largest gold, silver, and copper deposit found in three decades. Valued at around $337billion, this monumental find, nestled in the mountainous region of San Juan Province, presents new opportunities and challenges for the country’s economy. As detailed in the Lundin Mining announcement, the joint venture between BHP and Lundin Mining stands poised to bring this remarkable resource to market. But what does this discovery mean for Argentina, its…
Australia is willing to sell shares in its new strategic reserve of critical minerals to allies including Britain, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, as Western governments scramble to end their reliance on China for rare earths and minor metals. Critical minerals such as lithium are essential to technologies used in clean energy, semi-conductors and weapons among other sectors. Beijing retaliated against U.S. controls on chip sales by placing export restrictions on its germanium and gallium. Earlier this year, it responded to U.S. tariffs with new licence requirements for rare earths and related permanent magnets, crippling supply chains…
China’s Strategic Pivot: Reducing Metal Production Targets to Combat Overcapacity China has fundamentally shifted its approach to metals production, moving away from volume-driven growth toward quality-focused development. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently announced a dramatic reduction in production targets for key non-ferrous metals, signaling a strategic pivot that will reshape global metal markets. Understanding the 70% Reduction in Growth Expectations In a significant policy shift, China has slashed annual output growth targets for its 10 primary non-ferrous metals from 5% to just 1.5% for 2025-2026. This represents a 70% decrease in growth expectations and marks a substantial…
After years of research and a prototype built in an industrial warehouse, a renewable energy company has signed a deal it hopes will make it the first company in the world to turn a disused mine shaft into a battery. Green Gravity’s test site will be established at Russell Vale Mine Shaft 4, a coal mine shaft that has not operated since 2015. It is one of five mine shafts at Russell Vale owned by Wollongong Resources in the Illawarra escarpment. The technology lowers dense weights down a mine shaft to spin a turbine to create electricity during peak demand,…
Raquel Celina Rodriguez watches her step as she walks across the Vega de Tilopozo in Chile’s Atacama salt flats. It’s a wetland, known for its groundwater springs, but the plain is now dry and cracked with holes she explains were once pools. “Before, the Vega was all green,” she says. “You couldn’t see the animals through the grass. Now everything is dry.” She gestures to some grazing llamas. For generations, her family raised sheep here. As the climate changed, and rain stopped falling, less grass made that much harder. But it worsened when “they” started taking the water, she explains.…