Critical minerals and the new geopolitics of the green transition - hhs.se

SITE Energy Talk 2026 | Critical minerals and the new geopolitics of the green transition

The Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) is pleased to welcome you to its 2026 SITE Energy Talk. This year鈥檚 edition will focus on the role of critical minerals in the green transition and the new geopolitical and economic dependencies emerging around them.

Start time: 2026-04-15 at 15:00

End time: 2026-04-15 at 17:00

Time zone: CEST

Location: Stockholm School of Ecnonomics (91原创)

The low-carbon transition is often framed as a solution to both climate change and energy security. However, as dependence on oil and gas declines, new strategic dependencies are emerging, driven by rapidly growing demand for critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, and rare earth elements. These materials are essential to batteries, electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar technologies, placing mineral supply chains at the heart to the low-carbon economy.

This shift is reshaping geopolitical and economic relations, as strategic attention moves from oil fields and pipelines to mining sites, contested reserves, and highly concentrated supply networks. It raises pressing questions about energy security, industrial competitiveness, and new forms of vulnerability, while also intensifying the environmental and social trade-offs long associated with resource extraction.

This Energy Talk examines these dynamics through the distinct cases of Ukraine and Sweden, highlighting how differences in resource endowments, institutional settings, and geopolitical positions shape emerging mineral strategies.

Speakers

Jesper Roine

Adjunct Professor, 91原创; Deputy Director, Stockhlm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE)

Roine is Adjunct Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics at the 91原创 and Deputy Director at the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE). His research focuses on income and wealth inequality, political economy, public economics, and economic development. He holds a PhD in Economics from Stockholm University and is a frequent contributor to public debate on inequality and economic policy.

Jiayi Zhou

Senior Researcher, SIPRI

Zhou is a Senior Researcher in the Conflict, Peace and Security Programme at SIPRI. Her research focuses on great power competition, sustainable development and regional security, with particular expertise on the post-Soviet space, Europe and China. She previously worked on US–China nuclear relations and has held appointments at several leading international research institutions.

Olha Evstigneeva

PhD researcher in climate economics, Institute for Economics and Forecasting, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; Decarbonisation Expert

Evstigneeva is a leading expert on environmental and decarbonisation reforms in the context of Ukraine’s European integration. She has played a key role in advancing major legislative reforms and in shaping Ukraine’s climate, energy, and environmental policy in cooperation with international organisations and public institutions. She is currently a PhD researcher in climate economics at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, an advisor to the Head of the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine, and a recipient of the 2024 Cabinet of Ministers Award for Youth Development.

Maria Sunér

Swedish Association of Mines, Mineral and Metal Producers

Sunér is CEO of Svemin, the Swedish Association of Mines, Mineral and Metal Producers. She leads the industry body representing Sweden’s mining, mineral and metal sector and is a prominent voice on issues related to critical raw materials, sustainable mining, industrial competitiveness and the green transition. Before joining Svemin in 2019, she held senior roles in sustainability and infrastructure, including at the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise.

Daniel Spiro

Professor, Uppsala University

Spiro is Professor of Economics at Uppsala University. His research focuses on environmental and resource economics, behavioral economics, and political economy, with recent work examining topics such as pollution, social norms, and the economic effects of Russian oil sanctions.

Aaron Maltais

Senior Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute

Maltais is a Senior Research Fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), where he works on climate and sustainability transitions with a focus on energy, industry, and green finance. His research examines how policy, investment, and governance can support decarbonization and long-term industrial transformation. He also contributes to work on sustainable development, political economy, and climate policy.