Green transition, extractivism and sustainability: a growth problem

This article contends that the “green transition” has been based on a narrow interpretation of sustainability, primarily centred on decarbonization, while the material, ecological, and human rights costs linked to extractivism remain insufficiently incorporated into governance frameworks. It highlights the growth imperative as a structural driver of increasing raw-material consumption and extractive pressures, and it questions the idea that the energy transition alone equates to planetary sustainability. The analysis examines the governance of critical raw materials and several EU regulatory instruments, demonstrating how sustainability and due diligence requirements are fragmented across sectoral regimes and selective material scopes, leading to uneven coverage and a de facto hierarchy in which climate and strategic autonomy objectives may take precedence over biodiversity protection. The article concludes that a truly sustainable transition necessitates redefining sustainability beyond carbon metrics, integrating ecological limits, social justice and global equity into mineral governance, and supplementing technological substitution, circularity and efficiency with explicit political strategies aimed at reducing material demand – particularly in high-consumption economies.