Your perceptions around Critical Raw Materials

Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) make the news more than ever. And even though there is still limited familiarity with the CRM term itself, the general public does seem to recognize that we need such minerals for the energy transition. However, perceptions towards primary material sourcing remain negative, as many think that the mining industry fails in fulfilling responsibilities to society as a whole. With the Critical Raw Materials Act, the European Union shows a renewed focus on domestic mining, clearing the way for more local CRM sourcing. I will be looking at how perceptions around CRMs and mining shift with an increasing intensity of (more) local resource extraction. How do we envision a future in which we need to reconcile the environmental downsides of resource extraction with the societal benefits? Version 1 of this poster was presented at the Geoscience4CRM Symposium, held at Delft University of Technology on March 25 and 26 of 2026. Version 2 of this poster was presented at the NWO NAC conference on April 9 and 10 of 2026