The UN Security Council is examining the growing geopolitical importance of critical minerals — including lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and graphite — which are essential components in electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels, and electricity grids. Demand for these resources is expected to triple by 2030, with analysts comparing their strategic weight to that of oil in the twentieth century, yet large deposits concentrated across Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia have also become flashpoints for armed conflict, illegal mining, and corruption where governance is weak. The Council's central question is whether the mineral wealth underpinning the global shift away from fossil fuels can be managed responsibly enough to benefit local communities and support stability, rather than finance violence and environmental destruction.