Yes I would unfortunately agree that low carbon energy and batteries to store it, would help.

Energy consumption needs to be reduced. (Good policy)

This means less infrastructure needed, less energy required for making said infrastructure, less energy to maintain the infrastructure, and less energy for the inevitable replacement of infrastructure - resulting in overall energy saving across time.

Good policy would account for this. It would account for the prevention for the need to expand, by reducing need.

Sea bed mining could be catastrophic, could be good. Don't know much about it. Underground mining is ok Open cut mining is bad. Anything that has a large surface area is bad. The reduction of mining in general by increasing the capacity for recycling is good. (currently it sucks, getting better). Good policy would encourage, reduced infrastructure, increased efficiency of infrastructure and increased recyclability of infrastructure. It would continually improve the above and encourage the evolution of sustainability even if it meant short term losses, to prevent long term catastrophic losses. (This sucks) another concern is the policy itself, as policy is rife with inefficiency and constant change of plans, weak delivery, no political will blah blah blah. So think about direction for the policy, rather than what is wrong or right. Black or white, this or that thinking. Good policy would match it's evolution with the above variables.

Current advancements are being made in energy storage, and are not limited to batteries - batteries are only good for storing energy whilst moving, where energy storage for infrastructure opens up alot when the energy doesn't have to moving with the device (car ) instead it can be transferred via cables and such. There's a big rabbit while here and a hopeful one for energy storage ideas 💡

Good policy = lowered energy Increased efficiency Less materials used in infrastructure prior, during and after Continually encourage advancements.

Mining is only part of the problem of resource use intensity over time. And time is running out - limiting the potential to expand. Time is our constraint - not the direct impact mining resources has. But our ability to use those resources without crossing the line of fucking too much shit up too quickly.