Don't be left behind!

Leave your email to get exclusive discounts

colourcolourcolourcolour
  • About
    • Mission
    • Team
  • Invest
    • Individual
    • Institutional
  • Impact
  • Pricing
  • #Physiser
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • About
    • Mission
    • Team
  • Invest
    • Individual
    • Institutional
  • Impact
  • Pricing
  • #Physiser
  • Login
  • Sign Up

Minerals and Metals: The Key to a Sustainable Future?

By Ugonna Agbafe
5 min read
Share to Facebook Share to LinkedIN Share to Twitter
  • The switch to clean energy must be done in a way that prioritizes sustainability
  • Current mining methods and operations need to be optimized with the earth in mind
  • Producer responsibility for rare or toxic minerals needs to be revamped in order to ensure proper disposal or reuse

 

Is there a downside to Green Energy? As the human population continues growing, our demand for energy continues to rise. This has been concerning for some time because energy production tends to be a polluting-process and very resource-intensive. Green Energy solutions such as wind turbines, solar cells, and nuclear reactors can all produce clean energy. However, the creation of these things isn’t an entirely clean process. 

 

The problem with clean energy

Many of our clean energy solutions require rare earth elements such as lithium, copper, and cadmium to function. These elements aren’t harmless and mining them requires a lot of energy. To make matters worse, these elements tend to be supplied from monopolized or poorly functioning markets that make obtaining these heavily-sought elements even more difficult. These conditions have exacerbated a looming problem standing in the way of a clean energy revolution: How can we continue to advance the implementation of clean energy infrastructure without placing an increased amount of stress on our environment? A recent paper in —science today—- has come up with some suggestions. 

 

How to revamp the mining industry

We need to rethink how we mine these materials. Current mining locations are nearly depleted, resulting in increased amounts of effort yielding less. While the process of opening new mines isn’t a 100% clean solution, these new sites would be effective towards the development of clean energy infrastructure. Data has shown the presence of rare earth elements in areas previously inaccessible. Oceanic mining operations are becoming increasingly worthwhile. In addition, plans for space-based mining are becoming increasingly feasible.

 

Our current mining operations need to be revamped. Mineral supply markets need to be diversified in order to bolster large and small operations. International coordination and adherence are needed to ensure that current mining is done in a way that is as environmentally friendly as possible. To reduce demand, we should try to maximize the reuse of rare earth elements in products today. The extension of producer responsibility for the fate of rare earth elements in electronics would ensure that rare elements in circulation are disposed of properly or recycled.

 

We know what we must do!

Clean energy production is undeniably better than our current energy industries based on fossil fuels. However, we must transition towards clean energy with care in order to protect the monumental environmental progress that’s already been made. Join Physis to help fight against climate change!

 

References:

Sustainable supply of minerals and metals key to a low-carbon energy future

 

Sign up for FREE and join the waiting list to get early access to the beta platform:

create your investment

see the impact of your portfolio

track your performance

Explore more Articles
Finance
Lifestyle
Market Movers
Physis
Load more
WEBSITE NAV
About
Invest
Impact
Institutional
Pricing
#Physiser
SUPPORT
FAQ Help Center Ask Phy Email us
FOLLOW US

Physis © 2020 All rights reserved

Terms of use | Privacy Policy


Physis Investment, Inc. (“Physis”) is an online investment platform that specializes in impact investing. Physis is an SEC-registered investment advisor.

Physis’ technology is under development, and the platform is currently on Beta testing. It means that now, Physis is not acting as your financial advisor, and no advisor-client relationship is being created by your use of our services at this time.

By signing up on Physis Beta testing, you are joining our waiting list and expressing your interest to access for free to the full Beta platform as soon as it becomes available.

By using this website, you accept our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and Disclaimer. Physis cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information, news, and related materials provided to you on this website. These contents are provided for informational purposes only and are not and should not be construed as financial advice.