The overwhelming message from miners and investors is that the situation is urgent, and getting worse, writes Clyde Russell.

Ivanhoe chief Friedland highlights Africa and the Arabian Shield as critically important venues for responsible green mining.

Africa has a generational opportunity to partake in the emerging green economy, the African Mining Indaba hears.

Mining international waters is in the spotlight as companies are looking at minerals concentrated on the ocean floor that can be used in batteries for smart phones and electric vehicles.

While the auto giant has EV metals contracts with suppliers across the globe, its goal to produce 20 million vehicles annually by 2030 will require vastly more supplies of metals.

Redwood currently recycles lithium, cobalt, copper and aluminum from several sources, including the Nevada battery plant jointly owned and operated by Panasonic and Tesla.

“Much of the new developments involve smaller players in China looking to secure resource supply overseas," BloombergNEF analyst says.