Carbon neutrality requires systematic transformations of both energy and metal systems. These transformations are not isolated but rather interlinked and interdependent, such that trade-offs between different strategies exist. Herein, we explore the critical interlinkages between energy and metal systems and further propose a circular metal-energy nexus to advance global coordinated actions towards a carbon-neutral future.

Circular Metal-Energy Nexus framework to accelerate the carbon-neutral transition. (The transition to a carbon-neutral future can be facilitated not only through the expanded use of more diverse low-carbon energy sources and metals but also by relying on more circular designs of metals and energy sources as a whole)