China's Grip on Rare-Earth Elements and the Future of Global Energy Security

The Michael Shermer Show

Michael Shermer

Dialogue, Science, Reason, Michaelshermer, Natural Sciences, Skeptic

4.4 • 921 Ratings

🗓️ 24 February 2024

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

To build electric vehicles, solar panels, cell phones, and millions of other devices means the world must dig more mines to extract lithium, copper, and other vital building blocks. But mines are deeply unpopular, even as they have a role to play in fighting climate change and powering crucial technologies.

Shermer and Scheyder discuss: • How much rare earth metals will we need by 2050, 2100, and beyond? • How do lithium-ion batteries work compared to lead-acid? What are the alternatives? • Will EVs completely replace all other cars? • Can renewables completely replace fossil fuels without nuclear? • How mining works in the U.S., China, Chile, Russia, elsewhere.

Ernest Scheyder is a senior correspondent for Reuters, covering the green energy transition and the minerals that undergird it. He previously covered the US shale oil revolution, politics, and the environment at the Associated Press.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to the Michael Sherman Show. The Michael Sherber Show Hello everyone I wanted to tell you about two trips we're sponsoring this year
0:29.2	part of our Geo Tours portion of the Skeptic Society is our social and science explorations.
0:38.6	The first one is June 2nd through 16th, so 14 days, two weeks,
0:44.4	from Ireland to Iceland on a cruise ship
0:47.6	with none other than Richard Dawkins.
0:50.6	This is the passage from Ireland to Iceland,'re calling it and Richard Dawkins will be the
0:55.7	invited guest and lecturer where you can hang out with him for two weeks.
1:00.0	As on this ship, the Vega, it has a guest of 152 plate people that can join so it's not a big huge
1:09.8	cruise ship with
1:13.7	thousands of people so you get to intimate time with Richard.
1:14.9	It starts in Dublin and goes to Reykjavik as we explore
1:18.8	Europe's northernmost islands, Scotland's Hebrides, Orkanes and Shetlands, Denmark's Barrows Islands and Iceland.
1:28.0	A remote world known for its to Canada's Nova Scotia. We're calling this Wonders of the Arctic on the same
1:45.1	ship, just a hundred and fifty-two person ship called the Vega. It's a beautiful ship.
1:49.5	Our featured guest for that trip which is September 23rd through October 10th, is Jared Diamond. Yes,
1:58.0	Jared. So we have Richard Dawkins and Jared Diamond, two of the biggest names of our generation,
2:03.6	two of the greatest minds, both good friends.
2:06.2	Just picture just sitting on a ship,
2:07.8	just hanging out with these guys.
2:08.8	So of course they're lecturing, but breakfast, lunch,
2:11.8	and dinner, they're just sitting around and you can sit there and chat with two of the greatest minds of our time.
2:17.0	This second trip, September 23rd through October 10th, goes from Greenland to Nova Scotia with a bunch of different stops in between.
	...

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