A new report from the Breakthrough Institute, a global research centre based in California, suggests that concerns about the impacts of mining for the critical minerals needed to power low-carbon technologies are overblown and counterproductive — especially when compared to the extractive footprint of coal and gas.
As the authors frame the debate in the executive summary:
It does not help that alarmed claims about mining regularly serve as ammunition in the circular firing squads all too commonly seen in energy transition discussions. Committed renewable energy absolutists warn against catastrophic impacts from uranium mining and characterize nuclear power stations as grotesquely wasteful mountains of concrete and steel. Meanwhile, nuclear energy proponents hit back at the vast quantities of copper, steel, and aluminum required to support sprawling solar and wind farms. The result of such sniping is that the public is now receptive to both narratives: that solar, wind, and batteries demand a heavy toll from the earth in the form of mining, and that the uranium and construction costs of nuclear power belie its low-impact, low-carbon reputation.
“Updated Mining Footprints and Raw Material Needs for Clean Energy,” Breakthrough Institute, April 25, 2024
The mining impact considerations of the energy transition are undoubtedly important, but these misleading narratives have taken on a life of their own and now warrant correction. A rational comparison of the metal and mining footprints of clean electricity technologies—contrasted with the material requirements of fossil electricity—can help ground the debate over the future of our energy system. Doing so is the purpose of this report.
“Updated Mining Footprints and Raw Material Needs for Clean Energy,” Breakthrough Institute, April 25, 2024
Read the full report by Seaver Wang, Peter Cook, Adam Stein, Juzel Lloyd and Charlyne Smith, originally published by the Breakthrough Institute on April 25, 2024.
The authors “encourage the reader to refer to the online version of this report to download our supplementary Excel data spreadsheets.”
Read a write-up on this report published by the MIT Technology Review.
