Tag: Mines and Mining

Portugal’s Election: What to Know

When António Costa, a prime minister well liked by European leaders, handily won his third term as prime minister in 2022, many Portuguese prepared for a lasting, stable government given his Socialist Party’s strong majority in Parliament. But by late last year, Mr. Costa had resigned, his government embroiled in a corruption investigation involving lithium […]

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Three Climate Takeaways From Indonesia’s Presidential Election and the Vote for Subianto

Coal, nickel, palm oil, rainforests. The riches of Indonesia matter to the rest of the world. Therefore, so does its presidential election. Early results on Wednesday in the world’s third-largest democracy signaled the victory of Prabowo Subianto, a former army general linked to human rights abuses, as the country’s next president. The new government’s approach […]

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Rare Earth Metals May Be Lurking in Your Junk Drawer

A vast and largely overlooked source of rare earth metals, materials critical for clean energy, could be in our homes, sitting in the back of our cabinets and junk drawers. A new study from researchers in China and the Netherlands estimates that reusing or recycling rare earth metals from old cellphones, hard drives, electric motors […]

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Norway Moves to Allow Seabed Mining Exploration

The Norwegian Parliament voted on Tuesday to authorize the opening of parts of the Norwegian Sea to seabed mining exploration, a move that reflects rising international demand for the metals needed to build batteries for electric vehicles worldwide. The decision clears the way for prospectors to look for seabed deposits between Norway and Greenland, mostly […]

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The First Secret Asteroid Mission Won’t Be the Last

For generations, Western space missions have largely occurred out in the open. We knew where they were going, why they were going there and what they planned to do. But the world is on the verge of a new era in which private interests override such openness, with big money potentially on the line. Sometime […]

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Sand Mining Threatens Long Island’s Drinking Water. Or Does It?

The Sand Land mine near Southhampton, N.Y., resembles the cratered surface of the moon, a treeless, torn-up work site that underscores the demand for a vital, if often overlooked, natural resource. Sand is crucial for building — it’s used to make concrete, asphalt and glass. And for over a century, sand from Long Island has […]

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It Could Be a Vast Source of Clean Energy, Buried Deep Underground

In the rocky soil of Lorraine, a former coal mining region near the French-German border, scientists guided a small probe one recent day down a borehole half a mile into the earth’s crust. Frothing in the water table below was an exciting find: champagne-size bubbles that signaled a potentially mammoth cache of so-called white hydrogen, […]

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Relax, Electric Vehicles Really Are the Best Choice for the Climate

It has been a bumpy few weeks for carmakers who sell electric vehicles, which are moving more slowly off the lot than they were earlier this year. What’s going on? It seems that American drivers may be more hesitant about E.V.s than automakers expected. I am familiar with trepidation about electric vehicles; I hear it […]

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Mucus-Covered Jellyfish Hint at Dangers of Deep-Sea Mining

A treasure trove of metal is hiding at the bottom of the ocean. Potato-size nodules of iron and manganese litter the seafloor, and metal-rich crusts cover underwater mountains and chimneys along hydrothermal vents. Deep-sea mining companies have set their sights on these minerals, aiming to use them in batteries and electronics. Environmentalists warn that the […]

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So Thieves Nabbed Your Catalytic Converter. Here’s Where It Ended Up.

One morning in September, a truck disgorged its load of pulverized rock with a resounding bang inside Stillwater Mining’s metallurgical plant north of Yellowstone National Park. The mined ore contains platinum, palladium and rhodium, three of the earth’s rarest, most expensive metals — and vital components in the millions of catalytic converters that reduce polluting […]

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So Thieves Nabbed Your Catalytic Converter. Here’s Where It Ended Up.

One morning in September, a truck disgorged its load of pulverized rock with a resounding bang inside Stillwater Mining’s metallurgical plant north of Yellowstone National Park. The mined ore contains platinum, palladium and rhodium, three of the earth’s rarest, most expensive metals — and vital components in the millions of catalytic converters that reduce polluting […]

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Both Sides Pay a Bloody Price for Coveted Ukrainian City

The tall chimneys of the Avdiivka Coke Plant stand out against the skyline. Beside it a sprawling slag heap juts into the sky, offering a high point overlooking the city of Avdiivka and surrounding villages. The two landmarks have been the focus of furious fighting since Oct. 10 as thousands of Russian troops began a […]

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Yellowstone Border Purchase Stops Gold Mine From Infringing on Bear Habitat

Scott Christensen was standing on a mountain looking down into Yellowstone National Park late last month when he spotted a fresh track from a grizzly bear in the mud, about two inches in front of his foot. He wasn’t scared, but rather relieved and gratified. The bear, as well as other wildlife, including the thousands […]

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Ambler Access Project Would Cause Environmental Harm Analysis Finds

A proposed 211-mile industrial road that would cut through pristine Alaskan wilderness to reach a planned copper and zinc mine would disrupt the way of life in Native Alaska communities, harm fish and caribou, and likely speed the thawing of permafrost, according to an environmental review released by the Biden administration on Friday. The road, […]

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Gold Mining Is Poisoning the Planet With Mercury

Jeovane de Jesus Aguiar was knee-deep in mud in the 100-yard gash he had cut into the Amazon rainforest, filtering brown water out of a pan, when he found the small, shiny flake he was looking for: a mixture of gold and mercury. Mr. Aguiar had drizzled liquid mercury into the ground in his makeshift […]

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Biden Cracks Down on Drilling and Mining

President Biden’s decision on Wednesday to block drilling on millions of acres of Alaskan tundra was the latest in a series of aggressive actions recently taken by the administration to curtail fossil fuel extraction on public land and in federal waters. Over the past several months, the administration has moved to bar drilling on 1.8 […]

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Thailand Highlights Its Rich History in Jewelry

Thailand’s history is rich with gemstones, beginning in the 1400s when its mines first produced the sapphires and rubies that adorned the crowns, swords and even the footwear of the country’s royalty. And as recently as May, jewelry fans took note of the glittering sapphire and diamond necklace and earring set that Queen Suthida of […]

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