The switch to "cleaner" renewable energy sources is going to require an unprecedented surge in the extraction of precious minerals, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the World Bank.
The Telegraph reports that, whether it is lithium and cobalt needed for batteries, or rare earth elements used for magnets that power wind turbines and electric car motors, we simply can't develop the green technologies we need without these minerals.
Campaigners and researchers warn that the mines producing these minerals raise troubling environmental questions of their own - with the worst examples ravaging landscapes, polluting water supplies and desolating crops.
Henry Sanderson, a business journalist and author, said: "Mining has an impact. And often local communities don't want it. So how do you reconcile those facts with the fact we need mining for clean-energy technologies?"
The sheer quantity of minerals needed for the green revolution - which entails the widespread electrification of transport and energy production - is staggering.
Much-bigger quantities
And they will be needed in much-bigger quantities than ever before. For example, whereas a conventional car uses about 34kg of minerals, an electric car requires 207kg, according to the IEA.
The IEA predicts factors like this will cause demand for critical minerals to soar to 42.3million tonnes per year by 2050 - up from around 7million tonnes in 2020.
Per Kalvig, an expert at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, said this will require an "explosion" of mining.
Given the strength of feeling in communities, he is doubtful there is the political will in Europe to push through many domestic mining schemes.
"Generally, we experience public resistance against mining projects," Mr Kalvig told the Telegraph.
But if Europe is unwilling to extract minerals itself for the green transition, it will simply need to import them from somewhere else - and typically, that means Africa and Asia.
Exploration of British waters?
It emerged last summer that British waters could be explored for the potential to mine critical minerals, to end reliance on foreign imports.
Ministers set out plans to draw up a national-scale assessment of the country's reserves of materials needed for the likes of mobile phones, electric car batteries and electronics, and encourage commercial extraction.
While much of the work will focus on the mainland, efforts will include understanding the risks and potential for environmentally-responsible extraction of minerals from coastal waters.
In July, the UK Government published the country's first critical minerals strategy to bolster resilience of supply chains and seize on the economic opportunities of growing industries, such as electric-vehicle (EV) manufacturing and offshore wind.
It said minerals such as graphite, lithium and silicon are vital to the economy, as they are key components of products ranging from laptops to aircraft.
The government added: "But supply chains are complex and markets are volatile, with most critical minerals sourced from just a handful of countries, particularly China.
"This leaves UK jobs and industries reliant on minerals vulnerable to market shocks and geopolitical events."