To produce enough 'critical metals' such as copper, lithium and nickel to support the green-energy transition, the mining industry needs to boost operations two-to-fivefold worldwide by 2050. Geopolitical tensions, environmental damage and social conflicts will constrain this growth. But another threat needs much more attention: climate change. Extraction of the very metals needed to address global warming will be increasingly impeded by the extreme weather that accompanies climate change.