What Next: The Mineral The Future Is Built On

Slate News

Slate Podcasts

News, News Commentary, Politics

4.6 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 2 February 2022

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Cobalt is the most important mineral of the future. It’s a key part of lithium-ion batteries, which power cell phones and laptops, not to mention electric cars. That demand is giving rise to a mining industry in Idaho, which sits atop a giant cobalt deposit. But the environmental costs of extraction raise questions about what “clean energy” really means. Guest: Michael Holtz, freelance journalist and author of “Idaho Is Sitting on One of the Most Important Elements on Earth.” If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Between forgetting the sellotape,
0:01.6	trying to squeeze eight people around a six-seater table
0:04.1	and the cat taking down the tree.
0:06.1	Again!
0:08.1	Christmas can be tricky.
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0:21.4	just click, save and will collect.
0:23.6	Visit RoyalMail.com forward slash send.
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0:44.2	Back in August, President Biden hosted a made-for-television event
0:48.4	on the White House lawn.
0:49.8	It was about electric vehicles.
0:51.7	Please, everybody sit down. Please, please, please.
0:57.9	The President wore his signature aviator sunglasses
1:00.9	as he stepped up to the microphone.
1:03.1	Someone had parked a bunch of trucks behind him
1:05.2	for visual interest.
1:07.1	Eventually, he ended up driving an electric Jeep in circles
1:10.3	around the White House.
	...

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