Clean energy? The world’s demand for copper could be catastrophic for communities and environments

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 05:14:13 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/clean-energy-the-worlds-demand-for-copper-could-be-catastrophic-for-communities-and-environments-157872>

"The benefits of switching to clean energy are huge. As with any industrial
activity, the transition has potential environmental and social impacts.

As we head towards net-zero emissions, record quantities of copper will be
required. Copper is critical for solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles
and battery storage.

Unfortunately, we’re headed for a supply crunch. Market analysts estimate the
annual copper supply shortfall could be as high as 10 million tonnes by 2030 if
no new mines are built. This means prices are on the rise, giving miners an
incentive to bring new copper mines to market.

The complexity of these new mines will be unprecedented. Unless mining is done
differently, rushing to bring these projects into production could unleash
unacceptable, catastrophic impacts onto local people and environments."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

Comment via email

Home E-Mail Sponsors Index Search About Us