Wild with Sarah Wilson cover image

Wild with Sarah Wilson

OLIVIA LAZARD: The big fat renewable energy blindspot NO ONE wants to talk about

May 28, 2024
Olivia Lazard, a peace mediator and rare minerals expert, reveals the hidden drawbacks of renewable energy transition, exposing the shortage of vital metals like lithium and cobalt. She discusses the devastating environmental impacts and geopolitical implications of mining these minerals. The conversation delves deep into climate security, technology's limitations, and the need for a more sustainable approach to clean tech solutions.
01:21:14

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Transition to renewable energy faces challenges due to limited rare earth metals supply.
  • Mining critical minerals poses ethical and environmental dilemmas globally.

Deep dives

Challenges with Renewable Energy Transition

Transitioning to renewable energy sources requires critical minerals like cobalt, lithium, and rare earth metals, which are essential for building solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries. However, the massive amount of infrastructure needed for this transition, coupled with the finite supply of these minerals, poses significant challenges. The current green economy heavily relies on fossil fuel energy for building this infrastructure, raising concerns about sustainability and scalability.

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