EP 732 There’s a War Below to Power Our Electric Future
There is a war raging below the surface, literally, for the critical minerals–lithium, copper, cobalt and that packet called ‘rare earth’–needed to power the conversion from fossil fuels to electrification of our lives. To build electric cars, solar panels, cell phones and millions of other devices will require the world to dig more mines to extract these vital building blocks for lithium-ion batteries which power so much of our technological needs now. That need will grow exponentially in the years ahead. Paradoxically, that which is designed to create a cleaner, greener world can start with the messy and dirty extraction process of these vital minerals. China is well ahead in this competition to fight climate change and power crucial technologies. America has some difficult choices to make, lest it become reliant on wobbly supply chains to provide these essentials. Will this become a national security issue in the not too distant future? We discuss all of the implications on this podcast with Ernest Scheyder, the author of “The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives.”
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Last time we spoke to our guest on this podcast he was trying to help us talk to science deniers. What ever happened to the America that thought better living(and longer life)could be achieved by following the science? He told us not to be argumentative and try to understand those who might still be smitten with the notion that the earth is flat or that the moon landing never happened. I never have been terribly good at doing that and I’m even less sympathetic to those who tell bald face lives repeatedly in our public discourse(like #stop the steal)and those who sheepishly follow them. However, public philosopher Lee McIntyre, author of the new book, “On Disinformation: How to Fight for Truth and Protect Democracy” does his best, at least, to try to explain how otherwise rational people get caught up in following truth killers. He also describes the creators, the believers and the amplifiers in this process and vividly explores the techniques used and motivations behind it all. There’s no one antidote for all of this, but we better do our best to quell the phenomenon before the next presidential election or we have examples aplenty, in this age as to what can happen here. Been to Hungary lately?
Industrial farming and ranching began about 80 years ago and now accounts for almost all agricultural output in America. We have allowed what once occupied nearly 40 percent of our population to be placed in the hands of of about one percent at the present time. I can see where some would say that’s a good thing because food is plentiful and cheaper. Yes, but…the depletion of the soil, the despoiling of the air, the cruelty to the animals and the ill effects of too much pesticide, fungicides and herbicides on our own health remind us that there is a price to pay for the approach which works against, not with, the natural order. Will Harris, the owner of White Oak Pastures, a holistically managed, regenerative ranch and farm in Georgia makes an eloquent case for returning to the roots of farming as practiced years ago in his book “A Bold Return to Giving a Damn: One Farm, Six Generations, and the Future of Food.” Maybe we cannot turn the clock back and provide the sustenance for our population in this era, but the bell is tolling and cleaner, more natural practices need to come back into play in some fashion. Will’s message and approach is worth understanding if that is to happen. And, as he reminds, buy from a local farmer, if you can.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is recognized globally as the most important wildlife conservation law ever passed. Having turned 50 in 2023, there is no requirement to update it, but given changes in approaches to managing the law and new and growing threats to biodiversity, it is a good time to reconsider what this commitment means to the species, habitats and ecosystems covered by it. Our guest Lowell Baier, a distinguished environmental lawyer and historian, along with Dr. John F. Organ and Christopher E. Segal, have edited “The Codex of the Endangered Species Act, Volume II: The Next Fifty Years”, to look to the challenges that lie ahead. And while there have been no substantive amendments to the legislation since 1988, the rate of species decline is accelerating at an alarming rate. This is as a result of a combination of climate change, habitat loss, invasive species, diseases and pollution. Our discussion with Dr. Baier will touch on how the Act was first passed and the adaptations to it needed to reflect today’s realities.
The sale of electric vehicles(EV’s) has slowed owing to the high cost of the current crop and the fears of some that they will be on a road trip and unable to ‘fill up’ with electricity to continue on their journey. Clearly, the industry is continuing to work on better battery life, longer ranges and the glut of competitors to current industry leader, Tesla, will work to drive down the price of the cars over time. Tesla has recently announced development of a model in the $30,000 range. Along with that are great incentives from the federal government to hasten the transition from the internal combustion engine autos. Joining us to discuss where this conversion stands is Rue Phillips, president and co-founder of SkillFusion, a digital customer service platform for training, certification, and compliance of Electric Vehicle Equipment Electricians, Technicians, and EV-ComTechs. And while there are fewer parts in these cars, thus making maintenance less expensive, building out the charging stations and maintaining them will be a necessary skill to train people for.
Phil Lempert, aka The Supermarket Guru, knows his way around a supermarket and has been imparting great advice to consumers on trends in these important confines for more than 25 years as an astute analyst of consumer behavior, marketing trends, new products and the changing retail landscape. Perhaps you’ve seen him on NBC’s ‘Today Show’ regularly reporting on new products. Our conversation starts off discussing a trend that has given consumers a look of consternation of late. That being the practice of ‘shrinkflation.’ It is characterized by a reduction in weight or volume without a corresponding decrease in price. The phenomenon evidences itself in everything from breakfast cereals to paper towels to Greek yogurt. A 2023 YouGov study found that nearly three-quarters of American consumers are concerned about shrinkflation. After we pursue this topic with Phil, we move on to a number of other topics involved in today’s grocery shopping experience. He’s a delight and a fount of knowledge.
It’s hard to look back at the period when Covid-19 was ravaging the health and well-being of the American public, let alone people through the world, and say that we miss some of its silver linings. Yet government stepped up with added monetary benefits, extended unemployment assistance, a child care tax credit and delays in loan repayments which allowed many Americans to get through this public health crisis without falling off the financial cliff, even if their work life was wildly interrupted. Now we are back to our regular order and the gig economy, one in which many workers have to take on multiple part-time jobs to survive with none of the perks afforded to those full-time workers who get W-2’s from their employers, is a growing sector of the employment picture. It’s a struggle for so many, particularly young people, saddled with student debt and borrowing from their future self, but required to take on low paying jobs, bereft of benefits, in order to survive. This scenario is explained in the new book, “Side Hustle Safety Net: How Vulnerable Workers Survive Precarious Times.” The author, Alexandrea Ravenelle, is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina.
Ninety seven year old, Robert Jay Lifton, a chronicler of the pain, suffering and anguish of of the catastrophes of the 20th and 21st centuries–Nazi horrors, Hiroshima devastation, and the recent pandemic from Covid-19–as a ‘witnessing writer’ with a perception born of years of study as a pioneer in the field of psycho history, continues his remarkable work to this day. In his new book “Surviving Our Catastrophes: Resilience and Renewal from Hiroshima to the Covid-19 Pandemic,” he explores the critical role that survivors play in demonstrating the human capacity for collective renewal. Many struggles to move forward have been borne out of human suffering and significant change often begins with a death encounter. Such encounters clearly frame moral issues that humanity must wrestle with in order to build more just and tranquil societies. We explore the multiplicity of crises we now face and turn back to discuss how survivors who emerge from what he calls ‘immobilizing victim consciousness’ are able to find meaning and significance in life and provide an invaluable lesson for all of us.
Artificial intelligence(AI) took on a decidely greater importance with the commercial application of ChatGPT about a year ago. And though this is not the Stone Age of AI, its development is in its early stages and we’re all wondering what form and impact it will have on our work lives and human interactions altogether. Policymakers are studying its possible effects so that any of the dsytopian visions made popular in science fiction do not come about and economists and educators are looking at it to determine if it will create more challenges than solutions in this fast changing world. Ed Watal, the founder and principal of Intellibus, an IT strategy consultancy with 65 transformation consultants, joins us to do a deep dive into the possibilities and challenges that come with the greater adoption of AI in a host of settings. His clear vision of AI’s potential offers hope for human empowerment in the period ahead.
According to one of the great practitioners of the art of political persuasion and campaign direction, it just may be. And our greatest danger may be our inability or willingness to recognize what’s happening, before it’s too late. Donald Trump has made clear his intent to take the powers of the presidency to a whole new level, imagined by the Founders, if he is given a second term by the voters. He wants to use the Justice Department to punish political enemies, gut civil service and expel or encamp people who he believes have no business being here. Recently, at a rally, he said those who support him have ‘good genes’, which rhymes with what the world’s last big war had to address in middle Europe. He’s been known to say the quiet parts out loud before, but he will feel unbridled if he plays legal Houdini and escapes to win the White House in 2024. The man whose warnings ring truest and clearest with me, whenever I see him on television, or read his thoughts, such as those put forward in his new book, “The Conspiracy to End America: Five Ways My Old Party is Driving Our Democracy to Autocracy” is our guest, Stuart Stevens. Stevens has run numerous GOP campaigns for presidents, governors and senators He will lay out the building blocks of autocracy and how they are well in place unless we recognize them and act. Have we taken democracy for granted? Will we pay the price? We’ll discuss today on this podcast.