In this episode, Pierre Josso (Deputy Director, Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre – British Geological Survey) breaks down the concept of criticality as a function of risk, priorities and politics.
This conversation gets deep into how critical minerals are actually assessed, why supply disruptions happen, and why we have to remember the point is communication toward decision making.
Pierre brings a rare perspective that combines geology, data-driven analysis, and policy advisory, offering a more complete view of how governments evaluate mineral dependence and risk.
Follow Pierre on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/pierre-josso-88172b59
UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre: https://ukcmic.org/
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction
03:19 – Defining Criticality
05:34 – Scale and Subjectivity in Criticality Assessments
09:40 – Methodology: Quantifying Economic Importance
12:42 – Market Sentiment and Price Volatility
16:52 – The Challenges of Data Resolution
20:03 – Analyzing Supply Risk and Bottlenecks
23:41 – Recyclability and By-products
27:44 – Geopolitical Market Manipulation
32:16 – The “Black Box” of Global Supply Chains
34:47 – Setting the Threshold for Action
39:18 – The Limits of Predicting the Future
44:16 – Technological Feedback Loops
48:26 – Closing Remarks: Criticality is Not a Geological Problem
