The economic opportunity hidden in the climate transition | Marielle Remillard

Achieving net zero requires an unprecedented volume of materials — billions of solar panels, millions of wind turbines, hundreds of nuclear reactors, and significant infrastructure reforms.

Climate strategist Marielle Remillard highlights that 14 key materials may face scarcity by 2030 once we consider the entire economy, not just isolated sectors. Substituting scarce materials often leads to new supply chain pressures, illustrating the complex domino effects.

For example, replacing carbon fiber with fiberglass in wind turbines stresses boron supplies, which are concentrated predominantly in Turkey and take decades to expand. Similar challenges exist with lithium-ion battery components where graphite supply is controlled almost entirely by China.

Despite these challenges, this transition presents the largest industrial growth opportunity since the Industrial Revolution, fueling innovation and new market prospects across sectors like aluminum, steel, chemicals, and specialized manufacturing.

> Someone's going to get rich. That somebody could be you.

— Marielle Remillard

• Achieving net zero requires massive amounts of materials that may face scarcity by 2030.
• Substituting materials to address scarcity can create ripple effects across the economy.

• Substituting scarce materials like carbon fiber with alternatives stresses other materials such as boron.
• Boron supply is limited, mostly in Turkey, and mining expansion takes decades.