Clubbing in the Anthropocene? The geopolitics of climate clubs and critical minerals

Abstract Non-Technical Summary Climate clubs are small coalitions of countries that focus on a broad range of priorities related to mitigation. In theory, these smaller initiatives can overcome the intractable challenges of global environmental governance. However, there is little discussion about the influence of geopolitics in the development of climate clubs, as the field is dominated by economic studies. This article provides an overview of the impact of geopolitics on the formation of climate clubs. It undertakes a case study on the Mineral Security Partnership to highlight the key implications of climate clubs for environmental governance. Technical Summary Climate clubs are set to become important mechanisms for environmental governance. Scholarship on climate clubs proposes that small coalitions of countries can overcome some of the key challenges of global climate agreements. While these studies provide important insights, they are largely removed from discourses on geopolitics. This research gap is alarming as the mutual constitution between geopolitics and climate clubs is likely to have important implications for global environmental governance, particularly in the context of escalating competition over critical minerals. This article aims to provide a geopolitical context to climate clubs. Firstly, literature on the International Relations of the Anthropocene is used to conceptualise climate clubs as an outcome and driver of geopolitics. Secondly, a case study on the Mineral Security Partnership is undertaken to illustrate the theoretical propositions. In the third step, the results of the case study are used to discuss the key implications of climate clubs for environmental governance. The findings of this research suggest that the current international system has facilitated the development of climate clubs that are explicitly driven by geopolitical imperatives. The article contributes to environmental policy by proposing that the exclusionary and elitist characteristics of climate clubs can undermine global environmental governance. Social Media Summary Climate clubs are driven by geopolitical competition as much as they are by environmental cooperation.