One major issue in the global green transition—i.e. in advancing a viable global climate stabilization path—is the massive increase in demand for electric vehicles (EVs). The growing demand for EVs in turn, generates a commensurate demand increase for the minerals needed to operate the batteries that power EVs. These minerals critical for the operation of EV batteries include lithium, cobalt, and nickel. This dissertation examines a range of questions resulting from the ongoing huge expansion in the global demand for these three critical minerals. The first chapter builds from the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) framework to estimate the requirements for lithium, cobalt, and nickel used in electric vehicle batteries in the IEA’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 scenario. According to my analysis, demand for these minerals will far outstrip the estimates of supply under current industry conditions, thereby creating a demand-supply gap for these minerals. The chapter reviews alternative approaches to closing this gap. The second chapter explores the factors that have enabled China to dominate at present the global production and supply chain of critical minerals. I argue that the most basic explanation is that China developed effective industrial policies from the 1980s onward to create capacity for supplying the global economy with EVs and the batteries that power them. Among other resources, I draw here on Chinese government documents and data on state funding for innovation. Using mergers and acquisitions data, I also document various ways through which Chinese corporations have secured critical mineral supply chains. The third chapter documents the impact of critical mineral mining on a selected set of mineral-rich economies, in particular, Chile, Indonesia, and Congo. I utilize data on social conflicts that have resulted from mining operations in these economies to understand the impact of mining on conditions for mine workers and communities. I also explore ways through which state ownership and distribution of resources can provide net benefits to local communities. Such benefits do not result when mining operations are controlled by private multinational corporations along with governments that align themselves primarily with the interests of the multinationals.