For Your Phone and EV, a Cobalt Supply Chain to a Hell on Earth

The race for high-tech metals has sparked a cobalt boom in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that has come at a steep human cost.…

The squeeze on powering the open road

The proposed US goal to double electricity transmission lines and build a separate electric vehicle charging network while also expanding solar and wind production to…

Deep-sea mining for rare metals will destroy ecosystems, say scientists

Businesses want to trawl for nickel, manganese and cobalt to build electric cars and windfarms.

Humans plunder the periodic table while turning blind eye to the risks of doing so, say researchers

In 1900, approximately 80% of the elements humans used came from biomass (wood, plants, food, etc.). That figure had fallen to 32% by 2005, and…

DR Congo’s faltering fight against illegal cobalt mines

At the bottom of a crater in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, 20,000 people work at a cobalt mine, in shifts of 5,000 at…

Industrial mining in Indonesia accounts for 45% of global tropical deforestation

Out of 26 countries, Indonesia accounted for 58.2% of the tropical deforestation directly caused by industrial mining activities. The data covered 26 countries representing 76.7%…

Two-year countdown for deep seabed mining

One argument against deep seabed mining is the existence of previously unknown species in the deep sea, including the recently discovered pom-pom-like Biremis spaghetti worm…

Electric vehicle targets ‘impossible’ without changes to lithium pipeline

Stuart Crow, chair of Lake Resources, said western companies and governments had failed to build adequate supply chains for lithium, making the sudden boom in…

Transocean Ltd. Invests in Exploration of Seabed Minerals to Support the Renewable Energy Supply Chain

Transocean Ltd. announced today that it has purchased a minority interest in Ocean Minerals Ltd., a company engaged in the exploration of seabed resources containing metals critical…

Cobalt’s human cost: Social consequences of green energy must be assessed in addition to environmental impacts

While driving an electric car has fewer environmental impacts than gasoline-powered cars, the production of the parts necessary for these green technologies can have dire…

Deep-sea mining may push hundreds of species to extinction

Almost two-thirds of the hundreds of mollusc species that live in the deep sea are at risk of extinction, according to a new study that…

Is deep-sea mining a cure for the climate crisis or a curse?

Trillions of polymetallic nodules litter Earth’s ocean floors. Each is rich in manganese, nickel, cobalt and copper; some of the most important metals for manufacturing…