Show Notes
What are critical minerals and why are they so important to the green energy transition? How can the mining industry work with communities, including Indigenous Peoples, to foster trust and further Reconciliation? And why does mining always seem to get a bad rap in movies and TV shows?
Those are just a few of the big questions at the heart of season two of Why We Mine as host Robin Stickley explores the mining industry’s role in our economy, society, and future. And she’ll have plenty of help, from the head of the International Council on Mining and Metals to the Director of the prestigious KU Leuven Institute for Sustainable Metals and Minerals. Robin will also sit down with the next generation of miners to find out what attracted them to the industry, as well as what the sector needs to do better to ensure it has the fresh talent it needs going forward.
More from Why We Mine
It’s no secret the mining sector has experienced some recruitment challenges over the years. Things like public perception and a lack of trust, which we’ve explored in previous episodes, certainly deserve some of the blame. But if we’re going to ensure we have the materials we need for the green energy transition, the industry needs an influx of fresh talent.
What is the role of Indigenous Peoples in the global race to secure the critical minerals we need for the green energy transition? And how can the mining industry and Indigenous communities work together to forge an equitable future?
It’s one of the first metals human beings ever mined, and the first to be smelted, cast into molds, and alloyed with another metal. And today, copper has become just as important to humankind as it was to those early Sumerian, Egyptian, and Roman civilizations. But why is it so critical, and why do we need so much of it?
The term “critical minerals” has been getting tossed around a lot lately. Most people know that certain elements are essential to many modern conveniences and technologies we take for granted, like our smartphones and electric cars. But which metals are we talking about exactly, why are they so important to the green energy transition, how much of them do we need, and what’s the mining industry’s role in helping meet that demand?
What is trust? How do you measure it? And more importantly, how do you earn it back once you’ve lost it? Those three questions are at the root of a growing conversation within the mining industry.