On Tue, 18 Dec 2018 06:48:05 -0500, "BurfordTJustice"
wrote:

A Green New Deal would necessitate a huge increase in mining
Moving the world to 100-percent renewable energy under a Green New Deal, or
the Paris climate accord, will require at least a twelvefold increase in the
not-so-green practice of hardrock mining, according to a new study backed by
prominent environmental consultants.

"The current global supply of several critical metals is insufficient to
transition to a renewable energy system," a new study released Thursday by
Leiden University in the Netherlands and environmental consulting firms
Metabolic and Copper8 concludes.

Transitioning to a global renewable energy system devoid of fossil fuels
will place a strain on the supply of certain metals required to manufacture
solar panels and wind turbines, according to the study, requiring twelve
times today's production by 2050.

And that estimate does not include increasing demand for other electronic
goods like electric cars and iPhones, which also require the same metals,
the study said.

Specifically, the demand for so-called "rare earth metals" such as
neodymium, terbium, dysprosium, and praseodymium stands out as a potential
problem for moving to a global energy system dominated by renewables. The
metals are required for their conductivity properties.

The findings were presented this week at the United Nations COP24 climate
summit in Katowice, Poland, which is looking for agreement on implementing
the 2015 Paris climate deal.

Much of the planet's rare earth metals come from China, making the U.S.
particularly vulnerable to supply chain vulnerabilities, as the nation does
not mine these substances.

Metabolic founder Eva Gladek told COP24 attendees that geopolitical
complications could arise out of China's dominance of the rare metal supply.

"It is essential for us to manage materials in a circular fashion in order
to ensure that we have enough for the technologies critical to a low-carbon
future," she said. That means a renewed investment in recycling to ensure
that these metals are not wasted, but reused to maintain a stable supply.

President Trump directed the Interior Department almost exactly one year ago
to develop a plan to end the nation's dependence on foreign suppliers of
rare earth metals.

"Right now, the United States is almost completely reliant on foreign
adversaries and competitors for many of the minerals that are deemed
critical for our national and economic security," said Interior Secretary
Ryan Zinke last December. "The problem is we can't fix the problem if we
don't know where the minerals are within our own borders," he said, ordering
a complete topographical and geographic survey of the U.S. to map its
mineral resources.

The study from the Netherlands points out that even if the rare metals are
located and sourced, it can take decades to open new mines to actually
harvest them from the ground.

Opening a new mine can take between 10 to 20 years and is typically a very
expensive undertaking, the report says. This makes it increasingly difficult
"to meet a rapid increase in global demand with a comparable increase in
global supply."


In addition, mining companies require long-term investment assurances to
fund new mining and refining activities, according to the findings

China appears to have the biggest known deposits of rare earths.
One more thing we will have to be buying from them.