Cell phones, iPads, laptops, televisions, hybrid cars, wind turbines, solar cells and many more products depend on rare earth metals to function. Will there be enough for us to continue our high-tech lifestyle and transition to a renewable energy economy?
In Africa, Asia and Latin America, the development of the mining industry
has often been accompanied by violence and community-led social protest. To
halt these protests, young democratic institutions have, in various cases,
turned to authoritarian dogmas. Researcher Dr. Triscritti illustrates how in
Peru these practices are decreasing the chances of reaching durable and
peaceful agreements.
Legislating revenue transparency injects fairness into resource equations, but it remains the map rather than the territory. The deeper dilemma is that we no longer have a language to describe the territory.
Columbia Water Center guest lecturer Raymond Farinato talks about increasing water supply by reusing wastewater in industrial applications.
Bill Gates funds cloud-whitening effort to reduce global warming. USA Today Bill Gates is funding research into whether or not it is effective and feasible to increase the albedo of atmospheric clouds by spray sea mist high into the atmosphere. The plan, spearheaded by Silicon Valley inventor Armand Neukermans, is a relatively benign method of [...]
State of the Planet is a forum for discussion on varying viewpoints. The opinions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Earth Institute or Columbia University.
