Falling Lithium Prices Are Making Electric Cars More Affordable

An unexpected decline in the price of an essential battery material, along with those of other commodities, is good news for buyers. But experts disagree on how long low prices will last.

#automobiles, #batteries, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #china, #cobalt, #contemporary-amperex-technology-ltd, #copper-brass-and-bronze, #electric-and-hybrid-vehicles, #factories-and-manufacturing, #ford-motor-co, #general-motors, #lithium-metal, #lithium-americas-corp, #metals-and-minerals, #mines-and-mining, #prices-fares-fees-and-rates, #production, #stocks-and-bonds, #tesla-motors-inc, #united-states, #united-states-international-relations

Leader of International Seabed Mining Agency Admonished by Diplomats

The United Nations-affiliated agency faces pressure from some member nations to greenlight ocean mining — and from others to slow it down.

#international-seabed-authority, #law-of-the-sea-un-convention, #metals-company-the, #mines-and-mining, #oceans-and-seas, #pacific-ocean, #united-nations

Inside One of the World’s Biggest Green Hydrogen Projects

Hundreds of billions of dollars are being invested in a high-tech gamble to make hydrogen clean, cheap and widely available. In Australia’s Outback, that starts with 10 million new solar panels.

#alternative-and-renewable-energy, #australia, #bp-plc, #coal, #energy-and-power, #forrest-andrew, #fortescue-metals-group, #global-warming, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #hydrogen, #mines-and-mining, #oil-petroleum-and-gasoline, #ships-and-shipping, #steel-and-iron

NASA’s Mission to Psyche, a ‘$10 Quintillion’ Asteroid

NASA plans to explore Psyche, an asteroid made of iron, nickel and we don’t know what else.

#asteroids, #diamonds, #earth, #internal-sub-only-nl, #metals-and-minerals, #mines-and-mining, #national-aeronautics-and-space-administration, #solar-system, #space-and-astronomy

Nebraskans Are Sitting on Strategic Metals. Is Mining a Patriotic Duty?

One county has a wealth of minerals essential to defense and the green economy. Mining would transform the community, yet many say they feel a patriotic obligation to dig.

#alternative-and-renewable-energy, #defense-and-military-forces, #electric-and-hybrid-vehicles, #global-warming, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #metals-and-minerals, #mines-and-mining, #nebraska, #niocorp-developments-ltd, #rare-earths, #rural-areas, #united-states-economy

Tiny Radioactive Capsule Missing in Australia

The device, part of a sensor used in mining, is believed to have fallen off the back of a truck while in transit.

#containers-and-packaging, #mines-and-mining, #perth-australia, #radiation, #rio-tinto-plc

A Copper Mine Could Advance Green Energy but Scar Sacred Land

Tribal groups are fighting an Arizona project whose backers say increasing the supply of copper, crucial to batteries, would reduce fossil-fuel use.

#alternative-and-renewable-energy, #arizona, #batteries, #copper-brass-and-bronze, #energy-and-power, #land-use-policies, #metals-and-minerals, #mines-and-mining, #native-americans

A Deal to Help South Africa Is a Breakthrough for the World

A plan to promote the shift to renewable energy could lead to real progress on climate change.

#alternative-and-renewable-energy, #coal, #energy-and-power, #eskom, #foreign-aid, #global-warming, #international-relations, #mines-and-mining, #south-africa, #united-nations, #united-states, #world-bank

German Village at Center of a Fight Over Coal and Climate Is Cleared Out

For years, activists tried to save tiny Lützerath from being razed to make way for the expansion of an open-pit coal mine. This past week, the police moved them out.

#coal, #demonstrations-protests-and-riots, #europe, #germany, #global-warming, #green-party-germany, #lutzerath-germany, #mines-and-mining, #politics-and-government, #squatters

Sweden Says It Has Uncovered a Rare Earth Bonanza

The state-owned mining company announced it had found Europe’s largest deposit of the vital minerals used in electric vehicles and other green technology.

#european-union, #factories-and-manufacturing, #kiruna-sweden, #luossavaara-kiirunavaara-aktiebolag-lkab, #metals-and-minerals, #mines-and-mining, #rare-earths

A Faked Kidnapping and Cocaine: A Montana Mine’s Descent Into Chaos

The Signal Peak Mine was embroiled in a web of criminal activity. Now, environmental groups want to shut it down.

#billings-mont, #bribery-and-kickbacks, #cattle, #coal, #corporations, #drug-abuse-and-traffic, #embezzlement, #firstenergy-corporation, #frauds-and-swindling, #global-warming, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #gunvor-group, #internal-sub-only, #mines-and-mining, #montana, #putin-vladimir-v, #regulation-and-deregulation-of-industry, #timchenko-gennady-n, #united-states, #water, #workplace-hazards-and-violations

For Lula and the World, the Tough Job of Saving the Amazon Begins

Deforestation is one of many problems Brazil’s new government will need to address.

#agriculture-and-farming, #beef, #bolsonaro-jair-1955, #brazil, #da-silva-luiz-inacio-lula, #forests-and-forestry, #logging-industry, #mines-and-mining

Indigenous Australians in Murujuga Fight to Preserve Heritage Sites

In Western Australia, new projects would supercharge gas drilling and processing. Traditional owners of the land say their heritage sites are threatened.

#australia, #corporations, #indigenous-people, #land-use-policies, #mines-and-mining, #oil-petroleum-and-gasoline, #rio-tinto-plc

Who’s Driving Climate Change? New Data Catalogs 72,000 Polluters and Counting

A nonprofit backed by Al Gore and other big environmental donors says it can track emissions down to individual power plants, oil fields and cargo ships.

#air-pollution, #carbon-dioxide, #carbon-disclosure-project-cdp, #doerr-john, #global-warming, #google-inc, #gore-al, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #methane, #mines-and-mining, #national-aeronautics-and-space-administration, #natural-gas, #oil-petroleum-and-gasoline, #satellites, #schmidt-eric-e, #steel-and-iron, #united-nations, #united-nations-framework-convention-on-climate-change, #world-meteorological-organization

Battle Over Deep-Sea Mining Takes on New Urgency as Trial Run Winds Down

A Canadian company is testing mining equipment in the Pacific Ocean in its quest for metals needed for electric vehicles. Environmentalists oppose the mining, which could begin in 2024.

#automobiles, #canada, #costa-rica, #glencore-international-ag, #international-seabed-authority, #maersk-line, #metals-and-minerals, #metals-company-the, #mines-and-mining, #nauru, #oceans-and-seas, #pacific-ocean

Coal Baron or Climate Warrior? The Dizzying Rise of Asia’s Richest Man.

The business decisions of Gautam Adani could go a long way in determining whether India helps the world avert a climate catastrophe.

#adani-group, #adani-gautam-s, #alternative-and-renewable-energy, #coal, #energy-and-power, #global-warming, #india, #mines-and-mining, #modi-narendra, #solar-energy

Germany Needs Coal to Replace Gas, So a Village Has to Go

The cutting of Russian gas supplies to Europe has led Germany to step up coal use, despite its goal to phase it out by 2030.

#coal, #energy-and-power, #germany, #global-warming, #green-party-germany, #lutzerath-germany, #mines-and-mining, #rwe

The Last Days of an Outback Town Where Every Breath Can Be Toxic

The town of Wittenoom, ruined by asbestos mining, will be wiped off the face of the earth. But first the government had to remove those who wanted to stay.

#asbestos, #australia, #hazardous-and-toxic-substances, #mesothelioma, #mines-and-mining

How A South African Town Became Buried in Sludge After A Diamond Mine Collapse

Waste from a diamond mine in South Africa grew ever higher as the ownership changed from De Beers to a billionaire to a Dubai-based retailer. The mining town paid the price.

#accidents-and-safety, #de-beers-group, #diamonds, #levees-and-dams, #mines-and-mining, #rupert-johann-1950, #south-africa

The World Got Diamonds. A Mining Town Got Buried in Sludge.

Waste from a diamond mine in South Africa grew ever higher as the ownership changed from De Beers to a billionaire to a Dubai-based retailer. The mining town paid the price.

#accidents-and-safety, #de-beers-group, #diamonds, #levees-and-dams, #mines-and-mining, #rupert-johann-1950, #south-africa

How a Quebec Lithium Mine May Help Make Electric Cars Affordable

The project also illustrates how difficult it is to get lithium out of the ground and break China’s dominance in processing the metal and turning it into batteries.

#albemarle-corp, #automobiles, #batteries, #canada, #electric-and-hybrid-vehicles, #factories-and-manufacturing, #global-warming, #inflation-reduction-act-of-2022, #international-trade-and-world-market, #lithium-metal, #metals-and-minerals, #mines-and-mining, #north-america, #piedmont-lithium-co, #prices-fares-fees-and-rates, #quebec-province-canada, #sayona-mining-ltd

A Welsh Village Embraces Its Bond With the Queen

A disaster at Aberfan, a small Welsh community, almost 60 years ago forged an unusual link between the community and the queen. The atmosphere there today — quiet grief coupled with brief flashes of dissent — encapsulates the national mood.

#aberfan-wales, #coal, #elizabeth-ii-queen-of-great-britain, #grief-emotion, #mines-and-mining, #politics-and-government, #wales

The Promise and Pitfalls of Deep-Sea Mining

How a Canadian company and a regulator are balancing billions of dollars in profits against the future of the Pacific.

#alternative-and-renewable-energy, #audio-neutral-informative, #automobiles, #electric-and-hybrid-vehicles, #global-warming, #mines-and-mining, #oceans-and-seas, #pacific-ocean, #united-states

At Old Coal Mines, the American Chestnut Tries for a Comeback

Across Appalachia, scientists and foresters are trying to reintroduce a hybrid version, helping to revive damaged land while also bringing back a beloved tree.

#american-chestnut-foundation, #appalachian-region, #forest-service, #forests-and-forestry, #global-warming, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #kentucky, #mines-and-mining, #monongahela-river, #pennsylvania, #west-virginia

Secret Data, Tiny Islands and a Quest for Treasure on the Ocean Floor

Mining in parts of the Pacific Ocean was meant to benefit poor countries, but an international agency gave a Canadian company access to prized seabed sites with metals crucial to the green energy revolution.

#alternative-and-renewable-energy, #australia, #canada, #clarion-clipperton-zone, #electric-and-hybrid-vehicles, #far-east-south-and-southeast-asia-and-pacific-areas, #global-warming, #international-seabed-authority, #kiribati, #mines-and-mining, #nauru, #nautilus-minerals-inc, #oceans-and-seas, #pacific-ocean, #regulation-and-deregulation-of-industry, #the-metals-company, #third-world-and-developing-countries, #tonga, #united-states

A smarter transition to electric vehicles

E.V.s will bring down emissions, but the materials needed to build them have other environmental costs. We explain why, and talk about ways to limit the harm.

#atacama-desert, #electric-and-hybrid-vehicles, #global-warming, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #internal-storyline-no, #internal-sub-only-nl, #lithium-metal, #mines-and-mining

A Coal Miner’s Political Transformation

What Braxton Wright has learned by participating in one of the longest work stoppages in U.S. history.

#alabama, #amazon-com-inc, #audio-neutral-immersive, #mines-and-mining, #organized-labor, #strikes, #united-states

Russia Fights Efforts to Declare It an Exporter of ‘Blood Diamonds’

As a major diamond producer, Russia earns billions of dollars that other nations say help finance war. The clash exposes the many loopholes in regulation of conflict diamonds.

#alrosa, #conflict-minerals-and-resources, #corporate-social-responsibility, #diamonds, #global-warming, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #jewels-and-jewelry, #mines-and-mining, #russian-invasion-of-ukraine-2022, #war-and-armed-conflicts, #world-diamond-council

New Laws in Sierra Leone Reshape Environmental Battleground

The West African nation will let communities veto mining, farming and industrial projects. Activists say the legislation is a progressive landmark. At least one investor calls it unworkable.

#indigenous-people, #land-use-policies, #mines-and-mining, #rural-areas, #sierra-leone, #west-africa

How Coal Mining and Years of Neglect Left Kentucky Towns at the Mercy of Flooding

The region, one of the poorest in the country, is full of modest, unprotected homes and decaying infrastructure. Some residents say they won’t return.

#floods, #kentucky, #letcher-county-ky, #mines-and-mining

How Joe Manchin Shaped the Climate Change Bill

Along the way to the $369 billion package, the West Virginia senator secured an array of concessions for his state and for the fossil fuel industry.

#alternative-and-renewable-energy, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #black-lung-disease, #carbon-capture-and-sequestration, #coal, #democratic-party, #drilling-and-boring, #electric-and-hybrid-vehicles, #global-warming, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #infrastructure-public-works, #law-and-legislation, #manchin-joe-iii, #mines-and-mining, #natural-gas, #offshore-drilling-and-exploration, #oil-petroleum-and-gasoline, #pipelines, #senate, #tax-credits-deductions-and-exemptions, #united-states-economy, #united-states-politics-and-government

This Mining Law Is 150 Years Old. We Really Need to Modernize It.

Taxpayers and the environment have been the losers.

#alternative-and-renewable-energy, #appalachian-region, #coal, #colorado-river, #land-use-policies, #law-and-legislation, #mines-and-mining, #montana, #reclamation-of-land, #rivers, #royalties, #russian-invasion-of-ukraine-2022, #senate, #trout, #united-states-politics-and-government, #water-pollution

How to Protect Bristol Bay’s Salmon for the Long Haul

E.P.A. action, legislation and land conservation together can permanently protect Alaska’s Bristol Bay, the salmon and a way of life.

#alaska, #bristol-bay-alaska, #clean-water-act, #environment, #environmental-protection-agency, #fishing-commercial, #iliamna-lake-alaska, #land-use-policies, #law-and-legislation, #mines-and-mining, #northern-dynasty-minerals-ltd, #pebble-mine-bristol-bay-alaska, #salmon, #waste-materials-and-disposal, #water-pollution

Ukraine’s Coal Miners Struggle While Russia Bombs From Above

#coal, #donbas-ukraine, #mines-and-mining, #russian-invasion-of-ukraine-2022

Red Flags for Forced Labor Found in China’s Car Battery Supply Chain

Ties to potentially coercive labor practices could prove a problem for an industry that is heavily dependent on China, once a new law barring Xinjiang products goes into effect.

#alternative-and-renewable-energy, #china, #electric-and-hybrid-vehicles, #embargoes-and-sanctions, #forced-labor, #human-rights-and-human-rights-violations, #international-trade-and-world-market, #lithium-metal, #mines-and-mining, #nickel, #supply-chain, #uighurs-chinese-ethnic-group

Russian Coal Mine Responsible for Huge Methane Leaks

In January, a satellite detected 13 plumes of methane, a potent planet-warming gas, coming from the largest coal mine in Russia.

#global-warming, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #methane, #mines-and-mining, #russia

Capturing the Joyful Spirit of a Montana General Store

The state’s oldest continually open general store serves customers in Fishtail from all walks of life, from ranchers and miners to doctors and C.E.O.s.

#cowboys-and-cowgirls, #mines-and-mining, #montana, #travel-and-vacations

Fight Looms Over New York’s Bid to Slow Crypto-Mining Boom

Crypto interests are lobbying Gov. Kathy Hochul to veto a groundbreaking bill that would temporarily halt new crypto-mining projects at fossil-fuel burning plants.

#environment, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #hk-ftx-trading-ltd-futures-exchange, #hochul-kathleen-c, #law-and-legislation, #mines-and-mining, #new-york-state, #politics-and-government, #state-legislatures, #virtual-currency

Larimar, the Dominican Republic’s Unique Stone

The Dominican Republic wants jewelers to love larimar, the national stone. But authorities shut the mine temporarily after two fatal accidents.

#accidents-and-safety, #bahoruco-dominican-republic, #dominican-republic, #economic-conditions-and-trends, #international-trade-and-world-market, #jewels-and-jewelry, #larimar-stone, #mines-and-mining, #rock-and-stone, #shutdowns-institutional, #your-feed-fashion

E.P.A. to Block Pebble Mine Project in Alaska

The E.P.A. said it would ban the disposal of mining waste in the Bristol Bay watershed, a decision that very likely means the end of the Pebble Mine project.

#alaska-natives, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #bristol-bay-alaska, #clean-water-act, #copper-brass-and-bronze, #environmental-protection-agency, #fishing-commercial, #gold, #mines-and-mining, #pebble-limited-partnership, #pebble-mine-bristol-bay-alaska, #regulation-and-deregulation-of-industry, #salmon, #trump-donald-j, #united-states-politics-and-government, #waste-materials-and-disposal, #water-pollution

An Intimate Look at Mexico’s Indigenous Seri People

The identity of the Seri is integrally tied to their natural environment, which in recent years has been susceptible to an increasing number of existential threats.

#gulf-of-california-mexico, #indigenous-people, #mexico, #mines-and-mining, #solar-energy, #sonoran-desert, #travel-and-vacations, #women-and-girls

Why the Debate Over Russian Uranium Worries U.S. Tribal Nations

If imports end because of the war, American companies may look to increase domestic mining, which has a toxic history on Indigenous lands.

#barrasso-john, #cuellar-henry, #grand-canyon-ariz, #grand-canyon-trust, #mines-and-mining, #nuclear-energy, #uranium, #water-pollution

From an Alabama Coal Mine Strike to an Amazon Warehouse

The strike at an Alabama coal mine is one of the longest in U.S. history. To make ends meet, some striking miners have picked up work at an Amazon warehouse. It’s the same warehouse where workers are trying to unionize.

#amazon-com-inc, #coal, #mines-and-mining, #organized-labor, #strikes, #united-mine-workers-of-america, #wages-and-salaries, #warrior-met-coal

Overlooked No More: Elizabeth Hayes, Coal Town Doctor Who Fought for Miners

“Dr. Betty” led 350 miners on a strike in Pennsylvania in 1945 demanding that the mining company that owned their town improve horridly unsanitary conditions.

#biographical-information, #coal, #deaths-obituaries, #doctors, #hayes-elizabeth-1912-84, #mines-and-mining, #pennsylvania, #sewers-and-sewage, #shawmut-mining-co

Biden Invokes Defense Production Act to Boost Critical Mineral Supply

The action aims to enhance American production of crucial materials for electric vehicles, defense systems and other technologies.

#batteries, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #international-trade-and-world-market, #mines-and-mining, #rare-earths, #united-states, #united-states-politics-and-government

Brazil’s President, Jair Bolsonaro, Is Bringing Devastation to the World

Brazil’s president has the planet in his cross hairs.

#amazon-jungle, #amazon-river, #bolsonaro-jair-1955, #brazil, #environment, #indigenous-people, #mines-and-mining

Brazil’s President, Jair Bolsonaro, Is Bringing Devastation to the World

Brazil’s president has the planet in his cross hairs.

#amazon-jungle, #amazon-river, #bolsonaro-jair-1955, #brazil, #environment, #indigenous-people, #mines-and-mining

Desperate for Cash, Afghans Toil in Mines That Are Deadlier Than Ever

Faced with life-threatening hunger, thousands labor in the coal mines of Baghlan. But safety measures that the former government once provided are gone.

#accidents-and-safety, #afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #coal, #deaths-fatalities, #economic-conditions-and-trends, #labor-and-jobs, #mines-and-mining, #taliban

How Joe Manchin Aided Coal, and Earned Millions

At every step of his political career, Joe Manchin helped a West Virginia power plant that is the sole customer of his private coal business. Along the way, he blocked ambitious climate action.

#american-bituminous-power-partners-ambit, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #coal, #conflicts-of-interest, #edison-international, #electric-light-and-power, #energy-and-power, #enersystems-inc, #ethics-and-official-misconduct, #factories-and-manufacturing, #global-warming, #grant-town-w-va, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #lobbying-and-lobbyists, #manchin-joe-iii, #manchin-joseph-iv, #mines-and-mining, #nrg-energy-inc, #politics-and-government, #senate, #senate-committee-on-energy-and-natural-resources, #sumitomo-corporation, #united-states-politics-and-government, #west-virginia

Will War Make Europe’s Switch to Clean Energy Even Harder?

A wind turbine factory in Denmark and a coal mine in Poland illustrate the painful policy choices after Russia’s aggression in Ukraine added urgency to the transition to greener energy.

#coal, #economic-conditions-and-trends, #european-commission, #european-union, #fuel-emissions-transportation, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #mines-and-mining, #nord-stream-ag, #oil-petroleum-and-gasoline, #politics-and-government, #russian-invasion-of-ukraine-2022, #solar-energy, #wind-power