In Ukraine, weak legal safeguards amplify the risks of ecological damage and social disruption, sparking resistance among local communities. In Germany, by contrast, attention is turning to innovation: from geothermal drilling that extracts lithium out of hot deep water to cutting-edge recycling processes that recover critical raw materials with minimal emissions.
The project highlights how these contrasting paths — resistance on one side, technological experimentation on the other — are shaping Europe’s debate about its raw material future.
Image by Frank Schultze / Battery recycling at Duesenfeld's plant, Germany
