Just Energy Transitions: Environmental Peacebuilding amid Conflict and Rare Earth Mining in Kachin

Zung Ting, Kachin Natural Resource Concern Group (Myanmar)

Global demand on rare earth has been increasing because of world digitalization and clean energy transition. Kachin State is rich in natural resources including forests and minerals (gold, jade, amber and rare earth). Kachin is poorest state, although owning abundant resources, because of decades-long armed conflicts. Environmental services of Kachin is crucial for local people’s daily livelihoods. 70% of local people strongly rely on this system services. Kachin has long border with China which most populated, rapidly economic and most resource hungry country. After coup 2021, natural resources are largely exploiting by junta, local armed groups and their partners Chinese companies. This presentation will analyze that green energy transition should be a just and should not create armed conflicts, toxic rare earth mining and destroy the environmental services which are essentials for the local peoples daily life.