Sustainable governance, conflict and environmental justice in critical mineral extraction in Latin America and Africa

The extraction of critical minerals is essential for achieving global clean energy targets but frequently leads to significant socioenvironmental challenges, especially in resource-rich regions of the Global South. While existing research highlights environmental degradation, social conflicts, and human rights abuses associated with mineral extraction, a comprehensive synthesis of how these issues interrelate remains limited. This review employs a narrative synthesis informed by Political Ecology Theory to examine the interconnected social, environmental, and governance factors in critical mineral extraction in Latin America and Africa. Our analysis reveals that indigenous and marginalized communities disproportionately experience negative impacts, including water pollution, deforestation, displacement, loss of livelihoods, and violations of human rights. These outcomes stem from multiple factors such as colonial legacies, economic inequalities, global power imbalances, inadequate governance, regulatory weaknesses, and insufficient community participation. We recommend adopting integrated policy approaches that prioritize transparency, corporate accountability, strengthened governance frameworks, land tenure security, and meaningful enforcement of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) to ensure equitable and sustainable mineral resource management.