Pitfall by Christopher Pollon

A compelling investigation into the global race to exploit our world’s dwindling natural resources.

In order to transition to clean energy in the coming decades, billions of tons of copper, nickel, silver, and other metals will be required to build electric vehicles and green infrastructure, and power smart technology. We need more metals than ever before, yet the qualities and quantities are diminishing, making the extraction process more polluting to land, air and water. And most of these metals will be mined from the global south, where social conflict will only grow, led by Indigenous peoples demanding a greater say in how their wealth is used.

In Pitfall, investigative journalist Christopher Pollon charts how transnational companies have controlled copper, precious metals and lithium mining in Latin America, made inroads into war-torn countries in Africa, and extracted nickel, industrial and rare earth metals across Australia, Asia and the Pacific. Industry attention is now moving to deeper and darker places, including the depths of the ocean, sacrifice zones, and near-earth asteroids.

The stakes couldn’t be higher- How can we mine the metals we need without replicating the environmental and human rights abuses of the past?

About the Author: Christopher Pollon is an independent journalist who reports on the politics of natural resources, focusing on mining, oceans, and energy. His work has appeared in dozens of publications, including National Geographic, VICE, the Walrus, the Tyee, and the Globe and Mail. He is also the author of The Peace in Peril- The Real Cost of the Site C Dam. He lives in Vancouver, BC.

30 Jan 2024
 

Pitfall: The Race to Mine the World’s Most Vulnerable Places by Christopher Pollon ISBN 9780702268465