The world needs more battery metals. Time to mine the seabed
Getting nickel from the deep causes much less damage than getting it on land
Burning fuel to move humans and goods by road produced about 6bn tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2021, 16% of global energy-related emissions. If countries are to curb the increase in the world’s temperature, they must stop these emissions. That means building battery-powered vehicles which run on electricity rather than internal combustion. And that in turn means mining and processing metals on an unprecedented scale.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Give nodules the nod ”
From the July 8th 2023 edition
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