AI-Mapping Minerals
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The US Doesn’t Know Where its Critical Minerals Are and AI Could Help Find Them / Protocol
A new list of 50 minerals declared “critical” by the US government has been informing a scramble to find and develop sources of them throughout the US (and world).
Some of these minerals are only just now being perceived as critical, as they’re fundamental to the shift toward renewable energy sources and mass electrification (things like EV batteries and solar panels), so for most of recent history these minerals were largely harvested elsewhere and shipped to the US for processing and use.
Because of recent shifts in government policy (and the geopolitical landscape), the US and other governments are keen to get these resources under direct control, lest some future enemy cuts them off and hinders development and economic functionality—it’s become a national security issue, not just a geologic one.
Software is being leveraged in this search for new, valuable mineral stockpiles, similar to how it’s been used for the past several decades to identify and exploit fossil fuel resources (only now it’s looking for sources of lithium, cobalt, tin, gallium, and the like).
Also: Genetically engineered rice needs less fertilizer, makes more food
If you’re enjoying Climate Happenings, you might also enjoy my other publications, One Sentence News and Brain Lenses.