Culture and Coexistence into the Great Unknown
In this EcoJustice Radio episode, we delve into the controversial and complex world of deep seabed mining. We feature a panel of experts discussing the environmental, economic, and geopolitical implications of extracting minerals from the ocean floor. Marine Scientists, a documentary filmmaker, mining industry officials debate the need for and consequences from extracting rare earth minerals for renewable energy technologies.
We embark on the first part of a series by Jack Eidt to spotlight the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, and its rich yet troubled history with mining.
Clean Energy expert, Dustin Mulvaney from San José State University, argues that contrary to claims by industry, renewable energy projects like wind and solar are not facing major permitting delays due to environmental rules and regulations. He explains how proactive planning and siting have streamlined approvals, while transmission has faced grid issues. Indigenous activist Lydia Poncé argues for the necessity of environmental justice provisions, and that proposed permitting reforms could weaken protections for vulnerable communities.
Gary McKinney, Spokesman for The People of Red Mountain and Lead Scout for the American Indian Movement-Northeast Nevada, reveals to EcoJustice Radio the true cost of lithium and what we might do to protect the Northern Paiute & Western Shoshone sacred site of Peehee Mu’huh to ensure Indigenous peoples and their legacies are not irreparably harmed by the world’s growing hunger for lithium.
One of Africa’s most rare-minerals-rich countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo, has endured Belgian colonization, slavery, and continuing atrocities, where militant groups control the extraction of “conflict resources.” The tech industry turns these extracted raw materials into components of mobile phones and computers. Yet the cost is deadly.
On a visit with the Outdoor Writers Association of California to the Sierra Nevada town of Auburn, the dark and light of the gold rush history sparkles its brick-faced brilliance in a stroll through Old Town.
Two documentary films chronicle the struggle of the Huichol or Wixárika People to protect their culture and spiritual connection with the ancestors, through the journey to Wirikuta, where peyote grows, now threatened by mining and development interests.