141–150 of 341 posts
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Doing those things will take time, sure. But making the decision whether those things should be done should not take long.
I'm sure that's based on your long experience setting up mining operations?
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> There are huge (truly gigantic) areas of the outback where pollution would not bother anyone. That's exactly what the British colonisers said when they engaged in a bit of atomic testing at Maralinga, leaving Aboriginal people blinded, affected by radiation poisoning and left with an ongoing legacy of radiation-related health problems. I expect we're less in favour of a repeat of that kind of dumping of the side ef…
Well that escalated quickly...
This is ideal, as central north americans that seek the upside of acres of thin film TV sets and excess consumption also get the toxic waste that comes with it while no longer having to complain about the Chinese having all the rare earths and associated waste.
I like that a lot better than having to tell Jill [2] that a bunch of people from across the planet want to fart and shit in her back yard (as you proposed).
Poor woman has seen her family through enough already.
[1] https://www.mining-technology.com/news/lynas-heavy-rare-eart...
Wonder what the practical implications of a million tonnes is? For industry, is a million tonnes really that much?
According to a quick google, there are approximately 120 million metric tons of rare earths in the world. So that's not a minuscule amount, but also not earth-shattering.
That's why all the early predictions for peak oil have failed, the proponents assumed "proven oil reserves" are all that's left, while we still continue to search and find more. US ratio of "proven reserves" to production is stable for around 100 years.
> "This is good news, not only for LKAB, the region and the Swedish people, but also for Europe and the climate... No, this is not good news. Mining is one of the most polluting human activities there is. In addition, all those machines used for digging and pulverizing the minerals, they run on petrol. In fact, the entire value chain from raw mineral to finished product, be it solar panels, wind turbine, or the lates…
I would like to know more about this different approach. I don't think we can make a change that doesn't involve using what we are currently using (fossil fuels) but diminishing over time.
Over 1 millon metric tonnes of rare earth minerals found in Kiruna, Sweden.
That's the town they had to move due to mining, wasn't it? I hope this doesn't mean they have to move it again :)
...other than the houses already transferred to the slopes of Luossavaara, I guess. :)
> "This is good news, not only for LKAB, the region and the Swedish people, but also for Europe and the climate... No, this is not good news. Mining is one of the most polluting human activities there is. In addition, all those machines used for digging and pulverizing the minerals, they run on petrol. In fact, the entire value chain from raw mineral to finished product, be it solar panels, wind turbine, or the lates…
Well, LKAB has partnered with some other local industrial giants to make the steel making process fossil free, called project HYBRIT. It will just take some 20 years. :)
We just have to hope that the "greens" don't stand in the way as they usually do.