We are driving innovative research to address the urgent challenges posed by climate change and environmental degradation.
Our researchers examine the social, cultural, and economic dimensions of environmental issues, exploring how communities interact with and adapt to their changing environments. By investigating the intersection of human behaviour, policy, and ecological systems, the faculty seeks to inform sustainable practices and promote equity in the face of global environmental crises.
From understanding the cultural impacts of climate change to examining strategies for effective environmental communication and governance, our work is contributing to a deeper understanding of how societies can respond to these complex challenges.
Through collaborations with local and international partners, the faculty is advancing transformative research that not only addresses current environmental issues but also shapes sustainable futures for generations to come.
Critical minerals are essential to the global shift toward renewable energy and electric transport, as technologies like wind turbines, solar PV, and lithium-ion batteries rely heavily on them. This transition is significantly more mineral-intensive than fossil fuels, causing what many see as a global race for critical minerals. As a result, we're seeing increased “resource nationalism,” with countries like the US, EU, China, and Japan seeking to re-shore or friend-shore supply chains. This has led to what scholars refer to as the “sustainability-security nexus,” reflecting the geopolitical tensions surrounding access and control.
Australia, along with other nations, is trying to define and secure critical minerals not just for economic and security reasons, but also to meet climate goals. Yet the extraction of these resources often occurs on Indigenous lands, raising serious questions about Free, Prior and Informed Consent, and comes with significant environmental and social costs.
At the University of Sydney, researchers from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), the Sydney Environment Institute (SEI), and the Net Zero Initiative (NZI) are bringing interdisciplinary expertise to address these challenges. Together, they are exploring the political, social, technological and environmental dimensions of critical mineral extraction for the energy transition. This includes research into the governance of mining, the impacts on local and Indigenous communities, the role of global supply chains, technological innovation, and how to ensure the transition is both sustainable and socially just.
The energy transition depends not just on securing more critical minerals but on managing them in a more just and responsible way.
