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We’re Going to Need More Lithium

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Re: We’re Going to Need More Lithium

#41

Post by njarboe »

TheSpiceIsLife wrote: post #15
irrational wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't sending things back to earth relatively inexpensive? Wouldn't gravity do most of the work?

You've got to find a way to go from over 20,000k per second to stationary on the ground. For any worthwhile mass of asteroid you bring back to Earth, it's going to require one hell of a heat shield during reentry. So maybe you leave the heat shield in orbit, but you've still got get it there. I think space mining becomes possible when you're no longer cornered by the rocket equation. That is, it's going to require a…

I imagine that platinum will be the most important metal mined from asteroids and returned to Earth. Thick platinum shielding should hold up well on atmospheric entry.

Re: We’re Going to Need More Lithium

#42

Post by jwblackwell »

kogepathic wrote: post #39
joshuamcginnis wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Global X Lithium ETF (NYSE:LIT) https://www.globalxfunds.com/funds/lit/

At 0.76% management fee and an average return over 5 years of 8.09%, you're better off just investing in an index ETF. Their own comparison shows the index matching or beating the Lithium ETF in every metric. * LIT since inception: 38.48% * Index over same period: 45.82% You also have zero diversification with a resource ETF. If you really want to buy into only Lithium then I won't try to talk you out of it. But mayb…

You’re assuming OP wants to invest all of his money in Lithuum. And that past performance remains the same

Re: We’re Going to Need More Lithium

#43

Post by grinsekatze »

MrBorough wrote: post #36

This is why the imperialists countries like USA, Britain, France etc are going to foment war in countries like Congo where people live like animals and work for peanuts to dig out cobalt: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4764208/Child-miners... Let's make a million dollars no matter who dies. It aggravates me that I don't see any comments here relating to what is happening in Congo and all the multinationals s…

I feel exactly the same and am amazed by how readily some people invest their money into and anticipate owning products that are based on slavery and other kinds of suffering as well as the destruction of our planet.

Re: We’re Going to Need More Lithium

#44

Post by [deleted] »

MrBorough wrote: post #36

This is why the imperialists countries like USA, Britain, France etc are going to foment war in countries like Congo where people live like animals and work for peanuts to dig out cobalt: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4764208/Child-miners... Let's make a million dollars no matter who dies. It aggravates me that I don't see any comments here relating to what is happening in Congo and all the multinationals s…

[deleted]

Re: We’re Going to Need More Lithium

#45

Post by NicoJuicy »

snowmaker wrote: post #13
nsnick wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The reason lithium is used for batteries is that it is an excellent anode the lightest metal. Lithium will always be used for batteries that need to be light.

Relevant article from 11 days ago on sodium battery development: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15938642

Comment from there: If price was the only factor that matters, we could be using nickel-metal-hydride batteries. They also last longer.

+ Lithium is safer as it seems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IT2I3LtlNE

Re: We’re Going to Need More Lithium

#46

Post by totalZero »

MrBorough wrote: post #36

This is why the imperialists countries like USA, Britain, France etc are going to foment war in countries like Congo where people live like animals and work for peanuts to dig out cobalt: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4764208/Child-miners... Let's make a million dollars no matter who dies. It aggravates me that I don't see any comments here relating to what is happening in Congo and all the multinationals s…

You are not comparing the harms in this poorly-written Daily Mail article to any alternative.

Fossil fuels have disastrous harms for people, communities, and ecosystems. In order to show that cobalt mining is worth avoiding, you have to show why it is worse than the alternative it helps to replace. In this case, the cobalt (about 15 lbs per car) would replace gasoline consumption. I would be compelled to believe that, per car's worth of material and emissions, the net harms of the gasoline supply chain and exhaust effects on the environment outweigh the net harms of cobalt mining.

If we specifically want to speak about the dirty geopolitics of fossil fuels, that would be a several-days-long conversation. Countries with large oil reserves or where oil is a large contributor to GDP include Venezuela, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Nigeria. The oil economy solidifies autocrats and corrupt systems in these countries.

Re: We’re Going to Need More Lithium

#47

Post by totalZero »

GordonS wrote: post #38
MrBorough wrote: post #36

This is why the imperialists countries like USA, Britain, France etc are going to foment war in countries like Congo where people live like animals and work for peanuts to dig out cobalt: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4764208/Child-miners... Let's make a million dollars no matter who dies. It aggravates me that I don't see any comments here relating to what is happening in Congo and all the multinationals s…

Do you have a more... reputable source than the daily mail?

THE COBALT PIPELINE: Tracing the path from deadly hand-dug mines in Congo to consumers’ phones and laptops.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/batteries/c...

Re: We’re Going to Need More Lithium

#48

Post by totalZero »

pscsbs wrote: post #28

If I wanted to invest in lithium, what companies or ETFs should I look at?

The article mentions Tianqi Lithium, SQM, Albemarle, and FMC. The latter 3 trade on NYSE.

https://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE:SQM

https://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE:ALB

https://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE:FMC

These are the top three holdings in Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF (https://www.globalxfunds.com/funds/lit), together composing about 43% of that fund's holdings.

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