The Importance of Simple Materials

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At the moment we have these very complex alloys that take a lot of energy and thermodynamically very complex systems. They blend together in exotic alloys that are really hard to recycle once they're done. And they just not need it. So if we were to actually make something simpler, if you were to refine copper and maybe brass, simple alloys that can be extracted apart much more easily. That is how our economics is driven at the moment. It's not driven by need. We tell ourselves some amazing... Yeah, the little white lies we tell ourselves and some of them are whoppers. The way metallurgy was, say, back in the 1920s,. They were

In this episode, Simon Michaux returns to discuss his new paper “A Resource Balanced Economy”, which outlines an alternative economic and social system. This conversation builds off of his two previous episodes on The Great Simplification, unpacking the ideas and tools that will be helpful in planning for an unknown future with more energy and material constraints. How can we be more intentional about the design of our technology to make products that are longer lasting and easier to reuse? How can we organize society to create resilient communities based around actual human needs, rather than endless efficiency geared towards growth? Can an ‘Arcadian Blueprint’ emerge, and at what scale, and by whom?

About Simon Michaux:

Dr. Simon Michaux is an Associate Professor of Geometallurgy at the Geological Survey of Finland. He has a PhD in mining engineering. Dr. Michaux’s long-term work is on societal transformation toward a circular economy.

For Show Notes and More visit: https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/68-simon-michaux

To watch this video episode on Youtube → htt ps://youtu.be/bb801wdRULM