Critical Minerals: The New Battleground for Power, Tech, and Security

November 2025

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

ISSUE #94

Dear Global Citizen,

We're pleased to send you this latest issue of Global Development Update (GDU)--a monthly bulletin intended to keep you up to date with the policies, events, and people that affect our planet as a whole. The publication of GDU for the last 5 years has depended entirely on small and medium-size contributions from readers like you. We take no government or corporate funding. We need your support. We would greatly appreciate your clicking the DONATE button and making a small contribution that can help sustain the work we do.

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FEATURED STORY

Critical Minerals: The New Battleground for Power, Tech, and Security

Global Policy Journal

Critical minerals are the backbone of clean energy and AI and the new front in global power competition. With demand surging and China dominating supply chains, the U.S. and its allies are racing to secure resources or risk a future minerals crisis. Read on.

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HUMAN RIGHTS

Women Face Rising Violence as Wars and Injustice Intensify

Ramesh Jaura

Despite proven evidence that women's participation leads to more durable peace, they remain dangerously underfunded, overlooked, and unprotected as militarization rises and global promises falter. Read on.

Russia and China Undermine UN Human Rights System Through Budget Tactics

PassBlue

A new report reveals how Russia and China are quietly weaponizing UN budget talks to weaken global human rights protections, using obscure committees to slash funding for investigations into abuses. Read on.

ENVIRONMENT

Clean Energy Surpasses Coal as Global Shift Accelerates

We Don't Have Time

For the first time, renewables are generating more electricity than coal worldwide, signaling a historic economic and environmental turning point. Read on.

CO₂ Levels See Record Surge Driven by Wildfires

NYT

Global carbon dioxide concentrations spiked at their fastest rate in over 50 years, according to the UN, with massive wildfire emissions likely fueling the jump. Read on.

Ocean Acidification Is the Hidden Crisis Reshaping Marine Life

Naomi Chava

A quarter of our CO₂ emissions dissolve into the sea, turning oceans more acidic and destabilizing entire food webs. This chemical chain reaction is silently transforming marine ecosystems. Read on.

TECHNOLOGY & CONNECTIVITY

California Passes Landmark AI Law Balancing Innovation and Safety

Project Liberty

California’s new SB 53 law forces major AI developers to disclose safety risks and protect whistleblowers, marking a turning point in state-led tech regulation. Read on.

Why the Internet Keeps Getting Worse, Explained by Enshittification

NPR

Cory Doctorow’s viral concept of “enshittification” outlines how once-beloved platforms like Amazon and Facebook degrade over time, first luring users, then businesses, before squeezing both for profit. Read on.

REDUCING POVERTY & INCOME INEQUALITY

Hunger and Climate Drive Migration as Global Food Systems Strain

IPS

As climate shocks devastate harvests from the Sahel to Southeast Asia, hunger is becoming a major force behind mass displacement. Investing in resilient crops and sustainable farming is a strategic path to peace and stability in an increasingly fractured world. Read on.

World Bank Bets on Farming to Drive Jobs and Growth

Devex

Through its new $9 billion AgriConnect initiative, the World Bank is making smallholder agriculture central to its strategy for job creation and economic development. The plan aims to transform farming into a global engine of opportunity. Read on.

GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

UN Labour Agency Faces Massive Job Cuts Amid US Payment Delays

Reuters

The International Labour Organization warns it may axe up to 295 jobs due to delayed dues, with the U.S. alone owing over $170 million. As financial pressures mount, plans to relocate staff and cut costs highlight a growing crisis that could weaken global labor rights enforcement. Read on.

UN Charter Review Gains Momentum Amid Calls for Global Reset

PassBlue

A growing coalition of leaders and civil society voices is urging a bold UN Charter review in 2027, citing outdated structures and mounting global crises. Advocates argue it’s time to reimagine multilateralism for the 21st century or risk watching it splinter beyond repair. Read on.

GLOBAL PEACE & JUSTICE

Tracking Aid Cuts With Evidence

Devex

The Aid Report is a new platform delivering on-the-ground insights into the human and security consequences of U.S. foreign aid cuts. Backed by rigorous reporting and full editorial independence, it aims to inform policy debates through verified, real-time intelligence. Read on.

November 2025 Global Citizen Blog

As global crises intensify, the postwar multilateral system is faltering under geopolitical shifts, technological disruption, and climate change. A new Brookings report calls for a bold overhaul of international institutions like the IMF, World Bank, and WTO to restore global cooperation, economic stability, and legitimacy for a multipolar 21st century. READ ON.

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