The Energy Transition Is Becoming a Nature Problem

Robeco’s white paper argues that climate investing is entering a second phase, where biodiversity and natural-resource constraints can no longer be separated from decarbonization itself. 

• The report highlights how renewable infrastructure requires enormous volumes of critical minerals such as copper, lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earths.
• According to the paper, a fully decarbonized energy system could require up to six times more critical minerals than the fossil-fuel system it replaces.
• This creates a paradox: the energy transition itself increasingly threatens ecosystems through mining intensity, land use, water stress, and industrial expansion.

One of the strongest observations in the report is geopolitical. Energy transition is no longer framed primarily as environmental policy, but as national-security strategy. Fossil-fuel dependence is increasingly viewed as a strategic vulnerability after repeated disruptions in energy markets and trade routes.