To reach net zero emissions by 2050, and limit global warming to 1.5 °C, decarbonization of energy and transport systems is essential. Energy transmission and storage rely on many different materials and in this collection of articles from across the Nature Portfolio – Nature Energy, Nature Geoscience, Nature Sustainability, Nature Communications, Communications Earth & Environment, Communications Sustainability, and Scientific Reports – we focus on lithium and copper, two metals integral to decarbonization yet with massive projected shortfalls in their supply. We encourage submissions that explore lithium and copper ore formation processes; the environmental and societal considerations of their extraction; and the factors that directly influence their supply and demand scenarios.