Virgin mining: Energy security and decarbonisation are driving the race in the sourcing of critical minerals from the natural world. This has contributed to the revival of exploration activities in the US, Europe and to a lesser degree the UK. For example, the global identified lithium resources increased from 40m tonnes in 2015 (the Paris Agreement year) to 97m tonnes in 2023, at a CAGR of 12%, according to the U.S. Geological Survey data. For example, there was no identified lithium resources ....