Yes! Welcome back to Brave New Earth my peoples :)
This week’s was a little crazy - proper futuristic stuff.
We all know mining is terrible for the planet, but we also know we need critical metals in the green transition.
Turns out theres a bunch of these metals sitting on the deep ocean sea bed, but picking them up and extracting them without harming biodiversity is near on impossible.
The was until Impossible Metals who have created next level SciFi autonomous robots that do Selective Harvesting of Pollymetalic Modules, picking up rare materials in rocks one by one without disturbing natural habitats.
Insane
Such a cool piece of tech for such a huge market.
Tune in, the episode was crazy.
We spoke about:
What is selective harvesting and how will it contribute to the green transition
What is responsible mining
What are critical metals and why are they key for the Green Transition
What are Polymetallic Modules
Creating autonomous underwater robotic materials
Creating a more sustainable extraction
The metals we need to get to a zero carbon economy
Why the current mining supply chain is seriously unethical
The role of Artificial Intelligence in Deep Sea Mining
How do we survey the ocean
How to take care of the underwater habitats when we don’t know what they are
How to extract mineral in an environmentally friendly way
Getting strategic investors onboard
Hope you enjoy!
Love,
H
Mining can have a significant negative impact on the environment and the planet in several ways. Some of the reasons why mining is considered harmful to the planet include:
- Deforestation: Mining can involve clearing large areas of land, which can lead to deforestation and loss of wildlife habitats.
- Soil erosion: Mining can cause soil erosion and the degradation of soil quality, which can lead to long-term damage to the land.
- Water pollution: Mining can release harmful chemicals and pollutants into nearby water sources, which can lead to the contamination of aquatic ecosystems and harm wildlife.
- Air pollution: Mining activities can generate dust, particulate matter, and other air pollutants that can harm human health and contribute to climate change.
- Greenhouse gas emissions: Mining and processing minerals can also result in significant greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming and climate change.
Overall, mining can have a range of negative impacts on the environment and the planet. However, it is important to note that mining is often necessary to obtain the minerals and resources that are essential for modern society. Therefore, efforts are being made to minimize the environmental impact of mining through improved practices and technologies, such as reducing energy consumption, using renewable energy sources, and adopting sustainable mining practices.
Metals from the deep sea, such as copper, nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements, are essential for the production of many green technologies, including electric cars, wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries. These metals are used in the production of key components of these technologies, such as motors, generators, wiring, and batteries.
The demand for these metals is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years as the world transitions to a low-carbon economy and expands renewable energy and electric vehicle infrastructure. However, traditional sources of these metals, such as mines on land, are becoming more difficult and expensive to access, leading to increased interest in deep-sea mining.
Deep-sea mining offers a potential source of these critical metals that is not subject to the same geopolitical and environmental risks as traditional mining. In addition, deep-sea mining has the potential to provide a secure, stable supply of these metals, which is essential for the transition to a green economy.
Apr 23 20231 h et 7 min
37 min