𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐄𝐎 Dr Sunil Duggal, Bhumi Ventures, 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐈𝐌 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐭-𝐙𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. This powerful reality was at the heart of the session, “𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 & 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐰-𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐥, 𝐀𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐦 & 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐬,” during the Climate Innovation Summit 2026, organized by the Supply Chain Management Centre (SCMC), Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM Bangalore) at the IIM Bangalore campus. Dr Sunil Duggal. CEO, Bhumi Ventures, joined an esteemed panel of industry leaders, sustainability experts, innovators, and policymakers to deliberate on one of the defining challenges of our time—how to decarbonize the metals and mining sector while securing the critical minerals required to power the global energy transition. As economies accelerate investments in renewable energy, electric mobility, advanced manufacturing, and infrastructure, demand for critical minerals is set to rise exponentially. The discussion highlighted that achieving climate goals will require more than technological breakthroughs. It will demand responsible mining, resilient supply chains, circularity, strategic investments, and collaborative action across the entire industrial ecosystem. Dr. Duggal shared valuable perspectives on balancing sustainability, resource security, and economic growth, emphasizing the need for long-term thinking and responsible stewardship as industries navigate the transition to a low-carbon future. The session reinforced a critical message: critical minerals are no longer merely commodities—they are strategic enablers of industrial competitiveness, energy security, and sustainable development. The decisions made today will shape not only the future of mining and metals but also the pace and success of the global net-zero transition.