BOOK REVIEW - POWER METAL
for the deep-sea mining industry within the agreed on two-year timeframe. Now it is possible that some companies can move forward with further exploration and mining. The island country of Nauru and Nauru Ocean Resources had planned to begin sea- floor mining in 2021. Of course land-based mining will still continue even if deep-sea mining is very productive. If Lithium phosphate batteries predominate in the future, cobalt and nickel from the nodules may not be needed as much. A Ford plant in Marshall Michigan will use iron phosphate batteries regardless of whether the Federal government cuts aid. Another battery plant has decided not to make car batteries. But six billion dollars-worth of other plant development for batteries was cut off in the first quarter of 2025 (NY Times 6/25/25).
Recycling scrap metal is a $40 billion dollar industry involving
tens of thousands of people. Three-fourths of all lead, half the iron and steel, and one third of all copper that the U.S. uses in a typical year comes from recycled scrap. The European Critical Materials Act requires that 25 percent recycled material be used by 2030 (NY Times 6/9/25). Recycling is easier on the environment but more difficult to perform and dirty and dangerous for many of the individuals that have to do it. A story of Steve, a scrap picker, tells the details of how you make money and what do you have to do to survive - like millions throughout the continents with some organized into unions. Collectors in flip flops burn the plastic off of copper wire in Africa and elsewhere. One ton of circuit boards can have 40 to 800 times the amount of gold in a ton of ore. China's metals recycling industry pulls in around 60 billion dollars per year and employees a quarter of a million people.
Part of recycling includes electronic waste that includes just
about everything that includes a wired-plug or battery or associated components. “The world generates 53 million tons of e-waste every year”. The United Nations estimates that only 17% of all e-waste is collected and recycled. Millions of old cell phones and other e-waste are thrown out mostly by rich countries and a considerable amount is recycled by poor countries. The components of some are taken out by thousands of Nigerian workers. The chips of phones go to Europe and China legally and illegally. China through a subsidiary CATL is recycling much of the batteries. In Nevada, Redwood Materials has created a sustainable battery supply chain by recycling batteries and production scrap that are processed into new battery components for Tesla and other companies. LI-Cycle supports GM and Glencore. There is a long way to go with recycling – for example, only five percent of lithium may be recycled. China and Europe charge some manufacturers for covering the cost of recycling at the same time there are tax breaks for metal recyclers. There are international regulations based in part by the Basel Convention regulating the shipping of wastes between poor and rich countries. Sometimes under present conditions it is cheaper to mine than recycle materials from magnets, solar panels and wind turbines. Just a few percent of rare earth magnets appear to be recycled. In many cases recy- cling is financially a losing proposition unless there are incentives.
There are some exploratory methods being developed, including the bioaccumulation of metals by plants.
Many manufactured products that make our lives easier have become so complicated they are difficult to repair. Repair of prod-
ucts could reduce CO2 emissions significantly. Companies have been slow to help owners repair products. It is cited that Apple and Tesla in the past have taken repair manuals off of the Internet. “Right to Repair” legislation have been lobbied for against Amazon, Google, Tesla and TMobile. NY State has a “Right to Repair” law that requires manufacturers to provide information and parts to individuals and repair shops. The E.U. has promoted extending the lifetime of cell phones by a year that would significantly reduce the amount of
CO2 going into the air. A company named Fixit produces on-line manuals for fixing products. Apple has been accused of slowing down older iPhones. I have to buy a new computer mainly because Microsoft will no longer support Windows 10. B2U Storage Solutions acquires old batteries to create power storage units to sell power back to utilities. The reuse of old batteries as well as new storage systems could enhance the consistency of sun and wind power to be more like that of hydro, petroleum, geothermal and other, more reliable sources.
Diminishing the number of cars on road would reduce our power needs and emissions into the air and add many other benefits such as reducing traffic congestion. Amsterdam is unlike many cities, but it points to a possible future with only half as many cars on the street. There is a need to take a more thoughtful design of streets. Every year, worldwide, 1.3 million people die in car crashes. There are 43,000 deaths from car accidents each year in the U.S. Auto emissions contribute an additional 53,000 deaths per year accord- ing to MIT. The author has likely cited an excessive estimate of the EV advantage over gas powered cars with regards to overall air emissions. He mentions some worldwide environmental conditions (some numbers have been revised): The amount of rubber particles emitted from tire wear exceeds three million tons per year. Huge amounts of clothing items are incinerated or end up in landfills per year. Every year 30 to 40 percent of food is lost or wasted. The number of gas-powered cars is estimated by some experts to continue to grow to 2038 and then decline.
Mr. Beiser cites research that suggests that converting from the
use of fossil fuel to renewable energy is not sufficient to adequately stall climate change. A partial answer is fewer cars and more bicy- cles. Bike commuting has doubled in Los Angles since 2005. Bike sharing has exploded. According to Wikipedia there are presently two billion bikes – the number shows how important other modes of transportation have the potential to reduce the amount of air pollution and other environmental damage.
The author presents a very idealist way forward that includes
a description of the typical office worker in the near future living in a typical North American city in an environmentally best-case version of the Electro-Digital Age. The book is a good, quick and thoughtful read!
6 TPG •
Jan.Feb.Mar 2026
www.aipg.org
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