logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2021
32m 25s

The Necessary Evil

MARKETPLACE
About this episode

Mining is a complicated business. It’s destructive, it’s dangerous. But in order to get the lithium we need to power the energy transition, mining could be a necessary evil.


In this episode, we go from protests in South America to a gold mine in Nevada, where we take a ride on what looks like a massive Tonka truck, all in the hopes of finding out if there’s a better way to do things while getting the metal we need to survive.


After talking to mining experts, environmental justice advocates and a very vocal CEO, we get some answers.

Up next
Oct 2021
Electrify Everything
<p>To survive the climate crisis, we need to electrify everything: our cars, of course, but also our appliances, homes, mass transit, entire neighborhoods and cities. Everything. </p><br/><p>That’s no small task. So to better understand why electrifying everything matters, and ho ... Show More
27m 56s
Oct 2021
The Resource
<p>We’re back on the road this week, to California’s Salton Sea, a salty lake in the desert that was once marketed as “Palm Springs with water.” Today the water is receding and increasingly toxic. The community that once thrived here now has one of the highest unemployment rates ... Show More
35m 35s
Nov 2021
Gnarly Brine
<p>Our journey through the California desert continues. We visit the quiet front-runner in the race to extract lithium from the superhot, corrosive brine bubbling underground. And we dive into the past to look at an earlier attempt to harvest lithium from the Salton Sea. That pro ... Show More
32m 30s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2021
The coming cleantech mining rush
Can the minerals needed to decarbonise the global economy be dug up fast enough? And can it be done without the human rights and environmental abuses of the past?Tamasin Ford speaks to KC Michaels of the International Energy Agency says there will need to be a staggering increase ... Show More
18m 13s
Jun 2024
The War Below: Humanizing All Sides of the Mining Debate with Ernest Scheyder
<p>Ernest Scheyder, author of &#39;The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives&#39;, discusses the complexities and controversies surrounding mining for green energy metals. The book explores the choices and trade-offs involved in the green energy rev ... Show More
51m 53s
Apr 2021
Mining the ocean
How rocks on the ocean floor could be key to the transition to electric cars. Justin Rowlatt speaks to Gerard Barron, boss of DeepGreen, a company that wants to gather rocks from the ocean floors rich in the metals essential for making electric car batteries. He tells us why this ... Show More
17m 59s
Oct 2023
The energy transition needs minerals. Is deep sea mining the best way to get them?
<p>The International Energy Agency last month held its first ever&nbsp;<a href="https://www.iea.org/news/iea-critical-minerals-and-clean-energy-summit-delivers-six-key-actions-for-secure-sustainable-and-responsible-supply-chains" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">summit</ ... Show More
53m 14s
Feb 2024
The War Below
Inside your cell phone, your car, even your leaf blower – there’s a collection of small, precious minerals making each one work.  Ernest Scheyder is a Reuters reporter covering the clean energy transition and author of the new book, “The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Globa ... Show More
25m 36s
Nov 2022
Growing opposition to mining in Panama
We look at growing opposition to mining in Latin America. The region is a leading producer of copper, silver, iron and lithium. But the environmental and social impact of mining have sparked protests in many countries and several governments have taken action. Costa Rica outlawed ... Show More
18m 54s
Apr 2024
US Energy: The Minerals and Materials at Risk
<p>With global temperatures rising and an increasing urgency to speed progress on the energy transition, our Head of Sustainability Equity Research examines the key materials needed—and the risks of disruption from US-China trade tensions.</p><p><br></p><p>----- Transcript -----< ... Show More
4m 5s