Normative principles and the sustainable use of geologically scarce mineral resources

Abstract

The use of geologically scarce mineral resources needs to be reduced substantially in order to prevent future generations from being deprived of them. So far, there has been no international reaction to this growing problem. We argue that an international agreement on the sustainable use of geologically scarce mineral resources is necessary, and in particular that a number of normative principles of environmental governance, as currently codified in international environmental agreements, require such an agreement.