THE NIMBY CHALLENGE This in turn leads onto the challenge of public attitudes. Whereby the focal point is not ideological viewpoints on Climate Change, Energy Transition or AI, but rather the fairly ubiquitous phenomenon of NIMBY-ism (Not In My Back Yard). This needs to be very clearly distinguished from public resistance that relates to destroying or impairing natural habitat for animals and humans. Rather it refers above all to those that may argue in favour of the energy transition or improving infrastructure (as but two examples) but fiercely resist any plans to build (in the broadest) anything near where they live or work, even just occasionally visit. The number of projects that have been halted or had to be relocated (if commercially viable) is very numerous, above all in developed economies, and has to be a key point of evaluation for regulators, and those funding or raising finance for such projects. It also underlines the acute need in this era of rapid technological change across all sectors for regulators and above all politicians (be they national or more local) to think systemically and laterally, rather than transactionally (i.e. in a linear fashion).
What is for some a breathtaking and on occasion quite frightening global economic transition will require a lot of innovative thinking. What is likely to fail are approaches that rely primarily on creating faster or bigger versions of old infrastructure models, which will probably fall foul of a failure to appreciate and respect the inordinate complexity of modern production methods and resource requirements. What will be necessary are platforms which focus on speed, as well as a modularity that recognizes that many nascent technologies may be superseded or rendered redundant, and that secure supply chains need to be based on equitable partnerships with those countries that own resources.
Marc Ostwald E:
marc.ostwald@admisi.com T: +44(0) 20 7716 8534
THE PROCESSING MULTIPLIER
CRITICAL MINERALS $200 BILLION PROCESSING BATTERIES, MAGNETS, CATALYSTS AI, DATA CENTRES 10% Global GDP 25 | ADMISI - The Ghost In The Machine | Q3 Edition 2026
Critical Minerals Production
PROCESSING CAPACITY DRIVES STRATEGIC VALUE
$6.5 TRILLION
Downstream production at risk if expanded rare earth export controls are fully applied
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