Copper cables at a plant that produces parts for large electric vehicles in Mexico City. (AP photo)
The Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) says the bulk of the world's vital minerals are located in only a few countries, most notably China.
The agency also stressed that this makes the global economy extremely vulnerable to supply shocks that could disrupt industry, leading to higher prices being imposed on consumers.
The agency's latest report also focused on the availability of minerals and metals which are small in quantities but which have a large impact in relation to shifting the global economy away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy.
The study found that the three top-producing countries of copper, lithium, cobalt, graphite, and rare earth account for 82 per cent of the supply of these minerals.
All feeds
