What do you believe is the single most important factor driving up the cost of living in Nigeria?

Artisanal and small-scale mining plays a critical role in supplying the world with minerals vital for decarbonization, but this kind of mining typically lacks regulation and can be socially and environmentally harmful.

Despite ASM's significant challenges, University of Michigan researchers argue that artisanal and small-scale mining, or ASM, should be embraced.

Minerals such as cobalt, copper, lithium and nickel are necessary components of electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines, photovoltaic systems and battery storage units. Artisanal and small-scale mining, or ASM, provides as much as 20% of the global supply of these minerals.

"There is no decarbonization without mining these and other minerals. To move away from coal, oil and gas, the global energy system must mine critical minerals," said Brandon Marc Finn, a researcher at the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability. "At the same time, we argue that ASM should be recognized as an essential social and environmental justice issue of our time."

ASM plays a central role in local economies as well, Finn says. About 40.5 million people around the world participate in ASM in 80 different countries, and up to 270 million people depend on it.

• Read More