As the name would suggest, future-facing commodities are those that will carry humanity forward as we take on the momentous task of decarbonising the world.

These are the commodities that are essential to the energy transition, including lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, graphite and copper.

Much of the demand for these commodities is expected to be driven by the uptake of electric vehicles over the next two decades, with governments around the world - including Europe, China, the US and Australia - providing incentives for people to 'go electric'.

We have already seen spikes in demand (and subsequent supply responses) for many of these commodities. And while the journey will likely remain volatile, on the whole, the wind only seems to be blowing one way;

- Most analysts predict that global demand for lithium will double or even triple by 2030, according to Deloitte
- Demand for battery-grade nickel is expected to increase 50% by 2030, according to Deloitte
- Cobalt consumption over the last decade has tripled globally due to rising demand for electronics and EVs, and the demand is set to double again by 2035
- Macquarie forecasts a doubling in graphite supply over the next decade but predicts a deficit in 2025 due to demand from the EV market
- Demand from the EV market is expected to take up more than 60% of global graphite demand by the end of 2030
- S&P Global Market Intelligence projected in 2022 that annual global copper demand will nearly double from 25 million to roughly 50 million tonnes by 2035

However you slice it, demand for these commodities is only going to grow and, in most instances, the question is whether or not supply will keep that. That will create a host of opportunities.

As such, we sat down with Lowell Resources’ John Forwood & Acorn Capital’s Rick Squire, to get their take on what's hot and what's not when it comes to future facing metals.

Note: This episode was recorded on Wednesday, 10 April 2024. You can watch the video, listen to the podcast, or read an edited transcript below.