Human Dignity in the Shadow of Sustainability: The EUʼs Green Transition and the Exclusion of Informal Mining Communities

Abstract

The European Union’s ambition to be carbon-neutral by 2050 has significantly increased demand for critical minerals, particularly from Sub-Saharan Africa, where informal mining is predominant. Although these objectives are based on the EU’s commitment to international law and constitutional principles, their external implications raise profound questions on inclusivity, equity, and global justice. Through a critical legal analysis approach, this article highlights the tensions between the EU's green ambitions and its global distributive justice. It argues that the rigidity and the lesser sensitivity to the social, economic, and institutional fragilities in the EU climate policy measures risk exacerbating structural inequalities and global economic exclusion.