Happy Birthday, Green Rocks

The year's best reports, plus an announcement

Climate technologies require enormous amounts of metal. I’m Ian Morse, and this is Green Rocks, a newsletter that doesn’t want dirty mining to ruin clean energy.

This week, Green Rocks turns one year old, so I’d like to express my highest gratitude to all 820 of you who support the newsletter (or at least allow it entry to your inbox). I really enjoy spending the hours to put together these original reports and news round-ups. All your great feedback has helped shape this newsletter — not to mention motivate me to keep pushing for important stories.

This week, I’ll highlight some of the most popular posts, and my favorite. As a reminder, all the posts are pinned to their locations on this map:

Also, Green Rocks will celebrate its birthday by becoming bi-weekly. I’d like to make sure I can keep up the same level of rigor and research, and that means giving myself more time to design the newsletter and craft each edition. In particular, I want to sharpen my focus on original reporting, because it regularly has the most impact, even though it takes the most time. In that vein, I’ll mention again that supporting the newsletter with a paid subscription really helps. Shares do, too.

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The top 5 posts:

1.

Ian Morse @ianjmorse

For all the coverage of seabed mining, rarely have reporters spoken with people in the countries that sponsor the miners. As it turns out, there are a lot of concerns, including who will be stuck with the clean-up bill

greenrocks.substack.comWhat if seabed mining goes wrong?Citizens of Tonga are demanding answers about liability

2.

Megan Darby @climatemegan

Mines produce more waste than metal - fascinating newsletter by @ianjmorse on how industry overruled expert concerns about the risks to life posed by tailings dams

greenrocks.substack.comMines produce more waste than metalTwo experts spoke out about inordinate industry power over a landmark process to prevent deadly waste disasters

3.

Dustin Mulvaney @DustinMulvaney

@TedNordhaus @jnoisecat I think the more appropriate analogy with photovoltaic supply chain/labor, & waste issues is semiconductors, electronics, computers, mobile phones, chemical industries... I talked about it with @ianjmorse here..

greenrocks.substack.comThe delicate tangle with the black box of solarA conversation with researcher Dustin Mulvaney

4.

Ying Shirley Meng @YingShirleyMen1

We will make more information available in coming months regarding Sodium Battery technologies and #battery recycling methods. @ianjmorse thanks for the interview.

greenrocks.substack.comBattery science matters for a just energy transitionSo let’s make environment & human rights part of the conversation.

5.

Ketan Joshi @KetanJ0

+ your daily reminder to subscribe to @ianjmorse' great newsletter tracking the key issues around getting the stuff needed to build new energy things out of the ground ->

greenrocks.substack.com‘We don’t need to dig new holes’How to reduce metal demand, and your news round-up in mining for climate tech

And then some of my favorites:

Ethan Alter @ethandalter

Me and @ianjmorse are diving into the messy world of battery recycling, which isn’t as green as you might think Check out his first piece in a series of collaborative articles here

greenrocks.substack.comBattery pressures mount, so we dive into recyclingAnnouncing a new collaborative project (and a round-up)

Paris Marx @parismarx

After Greenland’s election, a left-wing party that opposes a major uranium and rare earths mined that was planned in the country has the most seats. @ianjmorse has a great issue on the problems with the mine and why people are opposed.

greenrocks.substack.comGreenland is set to oust a rare earths mine in the global spotlightWhat does reporting on this small town say about who should determine whether mining happens?

Matthew @MJHaugen

Great newsletter from @ianjmorse on why maintaining car dependent society is not a just or sustainable solution, regardless of whether the cars are electric

greenrocks.substack.comIn the name of climate, make cars political againWill Ferrell is a ‘kinetic elite.’ Replacing all cars with EVs may be impossible and distracting, research says.

Ian Morse @ianjmorse

Everybody has been writing about nickel since @elonmusk called Indonesia "great" for nickel. Here's a primer on the home of Big Nickel

greenrocks.substack.comNickel’s future in a school, an island, and an oceanEveryone is talking about Indonesia’s nickel, so I have to chime in

Pete Ford @PeteAFord

Interesting look at bauxite mining by @ianjmorse, and the role that aluminium will play in both meeting global #renewableenergy goals (but also contribute to carbon creation). h/t @markgrim83 Part 1 is here:

greenrocks.substack.comHow China warped the market for a vital clean energy ingredientPenalized at home, aluminum makers figured out how to outsource mines

Maddie Stone @themadstone

if you want to mine on public lands, all you've gotta do is put a stake in the ground. you don't have to pay any royalties and you don't have to pay for cleanup. nice writeup by @ianjmorse of the Biden admin's plans to reform this bizarre 19th-century law

greenrocks.substack.comClimate action means major mining reform, says Biden adminEyeing climate tech, a Biden commission called on congress to enact “comprehensive” change to a 150-year-old law