Dear Friends,
Charles Goldman co-hosts this week. Later in the program, we discuss the crazy exodus of teachers from K-12 public schools. We also talk about Sen. Joe Manchin’s political death-bed conversion on climate, sort of.
But first, we kick it off with Rob Hach, CEO of Trusted Energy. Rob’s company is launching a huge solar project at Grinnell College, in Iowa, and we get an update on that. Then we discuss renewable energy’s vulnerable underbelly: rare earth minerals.
Rob Hach, CEO, Trusted Energy
Rare earth minerals include lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and graphite. They’re crucial to the batteries that power wind turbines and solar panels. They’re also used in electric cars, computers, cell phones, and LED lights.
But here’s the problem: mining these minerals comes with significant environmental costs. Huge volumes of topsoil are often removed. Leaching ponds filled with chemicals are created, and these can leak into nearby groundwater. Mining, processing, and transporting these minerals uses enormous amounts of energy, generating plenty of greenhouse gas emissions.
Then there are worker safety concerns. In the Congo, 255,000 people are employed mining cobalt. Working conditions are often abysmal. Worse still, 40,000 Congolese children are among the quarter-million-plus employees.
Charles, Rob, and I have a free-flowing, candid discussion about these legitimate concerns. Both point out that no source of energy is without some type of pollution. Still, we can and must do better.
One positive development involves the recovery of these minerals from batteries in discarded computers, cell phones, and electric vehicles. As this technology advances, it has the potential to cut down on mining. That might help, but environmental protection and worker safety won’t improve until renewable energy advocates become more vocal about fixing the problems.
One final thought: Sure, we’ve gotta replace fossil-fuel infrastructure with wind, solar, and other renewable technologies — ASAP! But at what point do we confront the reality that the endless growth economy is simply a brutal, destructive fantasy? Natural resources have their limits, and some are being reached. We can’t simply “science” our way out of our plight. The only viable path forward lies in conservation, sustainability, and reducing personal and global demand for “stuff.”
Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action to make our world a better place. — Ed Fallon
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(01:20) The challenge of rare earth minerals, with Rob Hach of Trusted Energy;
(21:51) Republican attacks on public education driving teachers to quit;
(38:10) Senator Joe Manchin comes around on climate, sort of;
(55:48) Farm & Food – August garden Q & A, with Kathy Byrnes, Birds & Bees Urban Farm.
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Ed Fallon