Critical Minerals 324q4u

In the 20th regular episode of Sustainable Planet, Jorden and Kimberly explore why critical minerals are vital to modern society, excavate who’s got what and where, and unearth just how deep the issues go surrounding critical minerals. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why all rare earth elements (REEs) are critical minerals, but all critical minerals are not REEs Who defines what qualifies as critical minerals and why artisanal mines aren’t trendy How China gained a stranglehold over most of the world’s critical mineral processing Why just because a country has 75% of the world’s cobalt reserves or 52% of the global lithium supply isn’t necessarily the #1 processor of the mineral How a slew of acronyms—from IRMA and ICMM to ISO and IEA are attempting to regulate critical mineral extraction Strategies to tackle the abundance of environmental and humanitarian issues surrounding the mining industry Recommended Resources The IEA’s Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2024 Trade Tensions Escalate The DOD and critical minerals Mining in Africa Critical Minerals Recycling Kimberly’s Substack latest newsletter post 4k5x12