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What powers the smartphone in your pocket or the electric vehicle in your garage? In this eye-opening conversation with Ernest Scheyder, author of "The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives," we dive deep into the hidden world of critical minerals that make our modern technological existence possible.

Scheyder, who spent decades covering the energy industry before turning his focus to critical minerals, reveals how control of these resources is reshaping global politics in ways many don't yet recognize. China has strategically positioned itself as the dominant processor of most critical metals while American expertise in this area has steadily declined. This imbalance creates not just economic vulnerabilities but geopolitical risks that echo the oil conflicts of the previous century.

The scale of modern mining operations is almost incomprehensible. The Marenzi Mine in Arizona—North America's largest—features multiple pits visible from space and waste rock piles larger than the Egyptian pyramids. Yet these massive operations represent just the extraction phase. The complex processing required to transform raw materials into usable components for batteries and electronics demands enormous additional investment. Unlike the relatively standardized oil industry, each critical mineral follows a unique journey from ground to gadget.

At its core, this story revolves around communities and choices. We face fundamental questions about what we value more: technological advancement or cultural heritage, economic development or environmental preservation. The 1872 mining law still governing extraction on U.S. federal lands was signed before electric lights existed, highlighting how unprepared our policies are for the tech-driven future we're racing toward. As Scheyder provocatively states, "If you want AI, you have to have mining."

Ready to understand what's really powering your digital life? Listen now and join the conversation about the resources that will define the 21st century economy and the global competition to control them.

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The Global Battle for Critical Minerals and Why It Matters for Technology