There’s lots of copper in the ground, but demand is already outstripping usable supply – and the shortfall is likely to get worse.
Articles on Copper mining
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50 million litres of toxic mine waste recently flooded into Zambia’s Kafue River after the dam storing the mine waste collapsed. Mine specialists set out the issues.
For towns built on mining, mine closures have huge impacts. Because mines inevitably close, communities should be involved from the start in planning for that time.
China is expanding its relationship with the Taliban as a way of addressing its needs for increased energy supply.
The current energy transition could herald a new copper world. But will it be a long-anticipated resource blessing or yet another global scramble for the precious metal?
The coming copper boom presents Zambia with an extraordinary opportunity – not only to enable mining profits, but to power inclusive growth.
The project threatens catastrophic harm to one of the world’s most important river systems, and the people who depend on it.
Unless mining is done differently, rushing to bring copper mines into production could unleash unacceptable, catastrophic impacts.
How Zambian farmers won the right to pursue claims in UK courts – and why UK polluters should be worried
In the decades ahead, our mineral supply will still need to double or triple to meet the demand for electric vehicles and other renewable energy technology.
Last week Brazil opened thousands of kilometres of previously protected Amazon rainforest to mining, in a bid to combat ongoing political and economic disasters.
The fall in commodity prices has hit the DRC hard. This is a lesson to resources-dependent countries in Africa that they need to diversify their economies.
Zambia’s drive to build its industrial capabilities has made steady progress. But it runs up against the history of economies that are dominated by mineral resources and landlocked countries.
Top contributors
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Professor of Geosciences, Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)
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Chair professor - Circular Economy, The University of Melbourne
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Lecturer, Western Sydney University
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Country (Zambia) Economist and Researcher, International Growth Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science
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Associate Graduate Program Director of M.A. in International Relations, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Salve Regina University
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Distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment, University of Delaware (USA); Honorary Professor, The University of Queensland
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Head of Tax for Growth, International Growth Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science
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Postdoctoral Researcher , Ghent University
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Professorial Research Fellow, The University of Queensland
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Energy Transitions, Deakin University
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William Saywell Professor of International Business, Simon Fraser University
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Researcher, Leiden University
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Research Fellow, Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, The University of Queensland
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Research Affiliate, The University of Melbourne
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Professor and Director, Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, The University of Queensland