If electric cars are to be more competitive with the gasoline-powered ones we drive today, MIT Technology Review reports that this “will require a breakthrough battery” and that battery will be lithium-metal:
Making electric cars more competitive with gas-powered ones will require a breakthrough battery. We believe that breakthrough is lithium-metal batteries. https://t.co/6laJEzZbwn
— MIT Technology Review (@techreview) March 17, 2021
In other words, we’re switching our economy from one where oil is, in most places, quite easily extracted from the ground with a minimal environmental footprint to one where we need to mine the very specific metals we need from deep underground and separate the precious elements from tons and tons of useless rock:
This is really interesting from @Frances_Coppola on how the shift to renewables means a shift from a carbon boom to a metals boom https://t.co/TYlfxBssiB HT: @adam_tooze
— Joe Weisenthal (@TheStalwart) March 17, 2021
Can proponents of the Green New Deal please tell us what’s the carbon footprint of all this new mining and what damage that will do to the planet?
"Low-carbon technologies use much larger amounts of metal than traditional fossil fuel-based systems. Demand for metals is thus rising exponentially, fuelling a boom in mining and production."
— Joe Weisenthal (@TheStalwart) March 17, 2021
The author of the essay, Frances Coppola, added to what he wrote here in exchanges with readers:
So, Twitter, did I do a good job explaining the pivot from carbon to metals and the inadequacy of plans to replace energy sources rather than reduce energy? https://t.co/enDjqFkA5p
— (((Frances Schadenfreude Coppola))) ??? (@Frances_Coppola) March 16, 2021
For starters, he writes that if you believe we’re in an environmental crisis, then you also need to admit “our energy use is unsustainable”:
So, in effect, the “dash for renewable electricity” as the solution to absolutely everything is just another form of techno-Utopianism?
— Howell Harris (@trefeca) March 16, 2021
Yes. We are still not facing up to the reality that our energy use is unsustainable.
— (((Frances Schadenfreude Coppola))) ??? (@Frances_Coppola) March 16, 2021
And he agreed that “no energy is green” and that it shouldn’t be used on things like mining Bitcoin:
Thanks. Most people think we can pursue with this consumption by simply moving to "green" energy. This won't work. No energy is green. We can't afford anymore to use cars so much, electric or not, or to waste gigantic quantity of energy to mine virtual currencies.
— Franck Leroy ?⚡? (@FranckLeroy_) March 16, 2021
exactly. I've published this now as much to establish my credentials in the war against crypto energy waste as anything else.
— (((Frances Schadenfreude Coppola))) ??? (@Frances_Coppola) March 16, 2021
Well, since this isn’t likely to happen, what exactly do libs propose?
yes, absolutely. I can't see any real alternative to radical reduction in energy use.
— (((Frances Schadenfreude Coppola))) ??? (@Frances_Coppola) March 16, 2021
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