Author: okee

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In Search of ‘Lithium Valley’: Why Energy Companies See Riches in the California Desert.

“In Search of ‘Lithium Valley’: Why Energy Companies See Riches in the California Desert.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 27 Sept. 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/sep/27/salton-sea-california-lithium-mining.   

Within the article, it shows the positive “ time of transition”. We’ll never see it again in our lifetime, this green transition – it’s very cool to be part of it” (Colwell). Inside the depths of California’s “Lithium Valley,” there are many materials that will benefit the United States’ transition to clean energy and the increase in EVs that run off lithium batteries. It states that we mostly get our materials from foreign countries, so therefore we should take this risk. There are two options: restoring the body of water in which the valley formed, however, due to fertilizer runoff and evaporation, it is hard to maintain; or building a lithium and geothermal plant. There are plans to build a $520 billion plant that creates geothermal energy, selling most of the energy created while also using some to mine for lithium. 

 

This creation of a geothermal plant and a lithium mine is a great mix of two aspects that will mitigate carbon emissions and help climate change. A geothermal plant is meant to produce fewer emissions than a fossil fuel plant; by extracting heat from the ground, a non-renewable resource they can create enough energy to power their lithium mines and then some. This extra energy will be sold as an alternative to fossil fuel energy. Also the mining of lithium supports the use of EVs that will also decrease fossil fuel use. Lithium is the main part of an electric car’s battery and by finding this source, the US can stock up for the expected 40x increase of production within the next 20 years. I believe that this is the future of power plants; using many different kinds of non-renewable resources to work together to create less emissions could be the best way to deal with the global problem of climate change. EVs alone might possibly not be able to prevent carbon emissions, but the benefits of this combination is a start. 

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Biden Administration Cancels Mining Leases near Wilderness Area.

Tabuchi, Hiroko. “Biden Administration Cancels Mining Leases near Wilderness Area.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Jan. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/26/climate/boundary-waters-copper-mining.html?searchResultPosition=1.  

In the article, President Joe Biden is canceling two mining leases for copper within Minnesota and on the border of Canada. It is said that it is something that our past President Obama has already canceled; however President Trump reinstalled these leases during his term to provide an economic increase in that area. Biden states that this land is pristine wilderness, by allowing these mines to continue, it would mean the destruction of a habit for many animals. Environmentalists agree, showing that they would rather keep this land bare rather than destroy it for economic purposes. The loss of an ecosystem is detrimental across all categories. Overall by destroying these habitats, there will be an unbalance of animals and fewer trees that use photosynthesis to store carbon. 

 

I agree that the government should be more aware of the creation or continuation of adding more mines, even when something other than fossil fuel is being minded; the creation of these mining factories and the transportation/machines being used are all emitting greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Along with carbon being released, it also destroys carbon sinks. One of our main ways to take carbon out of the atmosphere is by taking advantage of natural processes like photosynthesis. We have started to utilize this process, and by planting more plants and maintaining current ecosystems, we can collect this carbon; building these mines suggests the complete opposite. Additionally, these mines will scare away animals, as mentioned in the article, this area houses the gray wolf and Canada lynx, which are essential to keep the ecosystem balanced. Nonetheless, it is argued by supporters of the mines that there are 400 billion tons of copper and nickel ore under the surface of these areas, however, I believe that this is not worth the negative consequence of the mining.  

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Joe Manchin Has Made Millions from Coal. His Ties Are Now Facing Examination as Democrats Scramble for a Climate and Economic Agreement.

Schouten, Fredreka. “Joe Manchin Has Made Millions from Coal. His Ties Are Now Facing Examination as Democrats Scramble for a Climate and Economic Agreement.” CNN, Cable News Network, 27 Oct. 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/27/politics/joe-manchin-coal-interests/index.html.  

US Senator, Joe Manchin, is questioned for his strong discouragement for the transition to clean energy. He states that clean energy could be unreliable and that the United States should not increase its focus on the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. This has started some uncertainty where Joe is not allowed to use his Senate position to have insight on any financial companies or investments, however, his unwillingness to agree with Biden’s bill could be due to the 1-5million dollars he has with Energy Systems inc., a coal brokerage business he founded. 

 

In terms of this transition to clean energy, there are many skeptics on the idea of relying on clean energy, opposed to the traditional use of fossil fuels. More specifically, Manchin’s public opinion to stay away from clean energy could mislead United States citizens. His motivation could be not related to the climate at all, but rather his own business earnings. I believe that it is essential for the government to acknowledge this situation involving Manchin and to fully promote the stop of climate change by creating some sort of bill or rule that takes the economic piece out of saving our planet. Our world is priceless, but the selfishness that Minchin promotes could lead to disregarding the environment and solely focusing on money. Similar to our Carbon Tax and Cap and Trade, if people aren’t willing to lose money to help the planet, no progress will be made. Eliminating ideas that promote selfishness and “free riders” should be one of the first steps to limiting carbon emissions, as everyone who lives on this planet must work together to ensure its future. 

 

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Plans to Dig the Biggest Lithium Mine in the US Face Mounting Opposition.

Bosler, Cayte. “Plans to Dig the Biggest Lithium Mine in the US Face Mounting Opposition.” Inside Climate News, 12 Nov. 2021, https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07112021/lithium-mining-thacker-pass-nevada-electric-vehicles-climate/.  

With Biden’s $174 Billion to enhance electric-powered cars and charging stations, many environmentalists explain that going clean has many negative consequences to our environment. Lithium is the primary ore that is used to produce electric car batteries; similarly to fossil fuels, this too has to be mined from the ground and refined into the material we can use to make these vehicles. As stated in the article, the operations of the mine mentioned in the article will emit 152,713 tons of carbon dioxide per year, with additional use of 500,00 gallons of water per ton of lithium, showing the effects on the climate when transitioning to clean energy. 

 

With all this talk about clean energy and climate change, it is easy to overlook the possible drawbacks that clean energy can create. Electric Cars are a popular way of reducing carbon emissions, however, the creation of these cars has equal or more effects on our atmosphere as they are still made out of non-renewable resources and use machines running on fossil fuels. For example, the batteries that are the key component to EVs are made from lithium, both mined and refined similarly to these harmful fossil fuels that affect our environment. Additionally, currently, there are slight options for purchasing these electric cars. Many people around the Bay Area drive Teslas, one of the first Evs, however, these cars are expensive and unavailable to the lower to middle-class economic spectrum. This creates a problem where the benefits of driving electric cars outweigh the emissions that their creation processes release. For these lithium mines to have a positive impact on the environment, there must be a higher demand and a more available type of electric car, therefore allowing more people to convert from oil-burning vehicles to electric. 

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The Achilles’ Heel of Biden’s Climate Plan? Coal Miners.

Scheiber, Noam. “The Achilles’ Heel of Biden’s Climate Plan? Coal Miners.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Dec. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/08/business/economy/coal-miners-unions-climate.html?searchResultPosition=4.  

Many United Mine Workers of America members have concerns with Biden’s new bill that will put $150 Billion into clean energy. Even though Biden claims to supply Billions “in aid, training money and redevelopment funds that will help coal communities,” many current coal miners refute this claim stating that JFK promised the same type of support and did not follow through. Mr. Manchin says that even with this new bill, there will need to be more work from the government to transfer into the United States clean energy goal, hurting even more traditional factory workers in the future. Many of these miners do not have a proper skill set to transition into a new branch of work, unlike carpenters and others who will be able to use their skills elsewhere; this produces a severe economic problem. 

 

I believe that climate change is a severe problem that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible, or else our world might cross into a point of no return. However, many forget the economic problems that might come from the workers of fossil fuel plants going out of business. Many of these plants are in small towns with no abundance of jobs and therefore they are forced into this work and the whole community. Getting rid of these jobs will cause problems for entire communities nationwide, especially because mining and working at these factories is a very particular set of skills that is useless outside of their line of work. How can you convert a person where all they know is mining to working another line of business? And as I mentioned before, will these jobs even be available for these small communities that depend on this line of work? Even though Biden claims to provide aid and training into other fields, I don’t think many will abide/agree with being forced out of their jobs, therefore causing an uproar from people within the Union of the United Mine Workers of America.