International Conference: “Critical Transitions: Governing Minerals, Energy Transitions, and Climate Futures”

We warmly invite Expression of Interest submissions for “Critical Transitions: Governing Minerals, Energy Transitions, and Climate Futures” international conference, 15-16 September 2026 at the University of Lapland.

What is it About?

Transitioning away from fossil fuels, curbing greenhouse gas emissions, and bolstering energy security are at the top of governmental and corporate policy agendas around the globe. 

Reasons for how and why these goals should be prioritised and met, if at all, are both diverse and complex. Accomplishing them, especially in tandem, is even more complex, because of the intersecting social, governance, economic and technological dimensions that any pathway will entail. It will require public support for the sweeping changes required, as well as governance frameworks that address the social, economic, and environmental dimensions associated with these changes. It will require deploying emerging battery, hydrogen, and sequestration technologies. It will require a secure and responsible supply of critical raw materials. And, it will require international cooperation on transnational supply chain governance.

With this complex and intersecting set of challenges in mind, this transdisciplinary conference organised by the Law, Technology and Sustainability Transitions research group (LOST) brings together world-leading scholars and researchers to critically explore the governance regimes, extraction practices, social dimensions, economic impacts, and emerging technologies associated with transitions, emissions, and security – especially where they intersect. The aim is to foster new transdisciplinary dialogues and advance impactful collaborations on complex challenges.

Featured Speakers

Susan Park

Professor of Global Governance in International Relations at the University of Sydney.

Susan is a lead editor of the MIT Press journal Global Environmental Politics (currently ranked 2^nd in international relations and 11^th in political science), a lead faculty of the Earth Systems Governance Project, an Alumni Senior Hans Fischer Fellow at the Technical University of Munich, and currently a Visiting Fellow at the National University of Singapore.

Susan Park focuses on how international organisations and global governance can become greener and more accountable, particularly in the transition to renewable energy. She has been a visiting scholar at the London School of Economics, Oxford University, the Technical University of Munich, American University, and the Centennial Centre in Washington DC. Her work has been funded by the Australian, Canadian, British and German governments.

Anne Mutanen

Counsellor, Critical Raw Materials, Department for International Trade, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

Anne Mutanen is a Finnish career diplomat, currently working on critical raw materials in the Department for International Trade. Her previous roles within the Ministry include working on Arctic policy, on trade promotion and serving as the Deputy Head of Mission in the Embassy of Finland in Dublin. Her educational background is in East Asian Studies and translation studies, and most recently in futures studies.

Call for Expressions of Interest

We warmly invite Expressions of Interest from practitioners, researchers, and scholars in law, policy, politics, geography, economics, anthropology, and the broader social sciences that address the intersecting set of contemporary challenges of energy transitions, emissions reductions, and energy security.

Expressions of Interest should include:
• Title
• Name, affiliation, & email address
• 3 keywords associated with your presentation
• Abstract (max 200 words)

Expressions of Interest should be submitted by email to lost@ulapland.fi
Submissions will be evaluated and accepted on a rolling basis.
The deadline for Expression of Interest submissions is: August 9, 2026.
Please note this is event is held in person only.

By submitting an Expression of Interest, applicants acknowledge that they have read the Privacy Notice and understand how their personal data will be processed in connection with the conference.

We hope you will join us!

The organisers gratefully acknowledge the support of the Research Council of Finland under the following projects:
BATRACE — Between a rock and hard place in the battery arms race: towards a global governance framework supporting resilience and sustainability of the battery value chain in the realisation of the green energy transition, decision no. 363808;
2IMATCH — Infrastructure/institutions match for resilient & just green electrification, decision no. 366054;
ATLAS — Transformative Law for Sustainability in the Arctic, profi7, decision no. 352881, profi9, decision no. 376380.