Drivers of Global Mineral Demand from 1980 to 2050

Speaker:  Martin Lynch, Manager, Solahart

Abstract: The urbanisation and industrialisation of China has driven a several decades-long period of strong growth in demand for global minerals.  That is now over, and the world is heading into what will be a several decades-long period where this urbanisation-driven demand will be weak right across the globe. But it's not all gloomy. The bright spot on the demand horizon is the restructuring of global energy systems.

This is a special seminar, dedicated to the memory of Emeritus Professor Alban Lynch, the founding director of the JKMRC in 1971

Bio: Martin Lynch holds a BE Chemical from The University of Queensland and worked at Rio Tinto from 1990 to 2002, in various operational and corporate roles.  He then consulted in the mineral industry for six years before moving on to owning a small business selling and installing renewable energy systems.  Martin is the author of several books, notably 'Mining In World History', published in 2002. Martin is the son of Emeritus Professor Alban Lynch.

In 2021, Martin published 4 short books which, taken together, explore and try to explain how global economic developments drive mineral demand:

• How China Made It: the road from agrarian poverty to manufacturing dominance
• The Mining Boom of 2004
• The Path to industrialisation: 1880 to 2050
• Oversupply: mineral demand to 2050