Redesigning the Uranium Resource Pathway

The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has made it essential to have a ground-up review of all resources and that this indispensable for the successful delivery of all goals, notably for SDG 7 on access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all and SDG 13 on climate action. The energy and climate-related goals have a bearing on uranium resources, one of the clean, low-carbon energy sources. This report shows how uranium resources could create a platform for innovative engagement with the integrated challenge of natural resource management and climate action. The United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC), the comprehensive resource management scheme, provides the necessary tools and conditions for the redesign of the uranium resource pathway. This report argues that the conventional model of uranium as a mineral commodity needs to give way to a new model of uranium as a “critical energy material” for meeting the global sustainability objectives on energy and climate action.