Raw materials critical for the green transition
Production, international trade and export restrictions
The challenge of achieving net zero CO2 emissions will require a significant scaling
up of production and international trade of several raw materials which are critical
for transforming the global economy from one dominated by fossil fuels to one led
by renewable energy technologies. This report provides a first joint assessment of
data on production, international trade, and export restrictions on such critical
raw materials from the OECD’s Inventory of Export Restrictions on Industrial Raw Materials
covering the period 2009-2020. It presents data on production and trade concentrations,
sheds early light on the impact of export restrictions, and discusses possible directions
of further work in this area. The evidence presented suggests that export restrictions
may be playing a non-trivial role in international markets for critical raw materials,
affecting availability and prices of these materials. OECD countries have been increasingly
exposed to the use of export restrictions for critical raw materials.
Published on April 11, 2023
In series:OECD Trade Policy Papersview more titles