The fight against climate change is one of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century, and as paradoxical as it may be, the mining industry, including lithium, will be responsible for providing much of the material needed to make this change possible. Today's environmental challenges require, among other things, a profound transformation of the global energy … [Read more...] about The time is now, tomorrow will be too late! Lithium, Li-ion batteries and the energy transition
Martin Walter
Martin is a specialist in natural resource development for the Energy Division (Infrastructure and Energy Department) at the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB). He is currently based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is responsible for coordinating and supervising projects in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. Since joining the Bank in 2013, he supports countries in strengthening the quality of governance in the mining and energy sector and optimizing benefits and mitigating risks and negative impacts associated with the extractive industries. He leads projects aimed at enhancing stakeholder engagement and participation in policy-making, promoting transparency, revising regulatory and administrative frameworks at the national and local level, with a particular emphasis on minerals critical for the global energy transition. Prior to joining the IDB, he worked as a researcher at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNDP) and as a consultant on risk and industrial safety issues. He has published extensively on the governance of the extractive sector and natural resources in Latin America and the Caribbean. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the Institut d´Etudes Politiques de Paris (IEP-Sciences Po) and Northwestern University with a specialization in international environmental policies and water management; a Masters in Comparative Politics, specializing in Latin America (IEP-Sciences Po); and a BA in Political Science from the University of San Andres (Argentina).
COVID-19 Precipitated the Age of Copper: Are Producing Countries Prepared to Supply the World and Capture Greater Value?
Governments around the world have launched economic recovery packages in response to the recession brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Two key themes feature prominently: investments in digitalization and green technologies. Both China and the EU have established reactivation plans supporting 5G telecommunications networks, big data and artificial intelligence. The EU has … [Read more...] about COVID-19 Precipitated the Age of Copper: Are Producing Countries Prepared to Supply the World and Capture Greater Value?
Consulting Job in the Extractive Sector
The IDB is looking for consulting firms interested in analyzing, mapping actors and creating a road map about the relationship between government, industry and civil society in the extractive industries sector in Latin America and the Caribbean. … [Read more...] about Consulting Job in the Extractive Sector
Navigating the Perfect Storm: A Crisis of Trust at the Subnational level
*To read this post in Spanish, click here. In our previous post “How to Restore Trust? Falling Prices of Raw Materials and Political Crisis,” we talked about the difficult situation that governments are put under pressure by the arrival of fewer resources in the primary sector and citizens that increasingly tolerate less abuse of power and demand better … [Read more...] about Navigating the Perfect Storm: A Crisis of Trust at the Subnational level
How to Restore Trust? Falling Prices of Raw Materials and Political Crisis
*This blog post was published on the GobernArte blog in Spanish. Latin America and the Caribbean are going through a deep crisis of trust in their governments, which covers both their ability to effectively and efficiently manage public resources, and the integrity with which they do so. … [Read more...] about How to Restore Trust? Falling Prices of Raw Materials and Political Crisis