Part 1
Geologist Colin Devey goes in search of clues in Jordan. This desert country is home to important raw materials for the world’s climate-friendly future – especially metals.
In Jordan, Colin Devey finds the “Big Six”, the most important raw materials of the future: whether wind turbines or electric cars, the more CO2 is to be saved, the more metals are needed for green technologies.
The Stone Age ended with the discovery of copper in the Middle East. A new chapter begins for mankind, which is still characterized by metals today. Copper is a kind of “Holy Grail” for the electrification of our everyday lives. Chile is home to the largest known copper deposits. They are the result of a continental collision.
Nickel, cobalt and lithium are used in combination, especially for batteries. CO2-free mobility can hardly be achieved without these metals. In addition to manganese nodules on the seabed, a land in the Arctic offers great potential for raw materials. In Greenland’s ice-free areas, mining companies are gearing up for a new “gold rush”.
Rare earths – a group of 17 metals – are also suspected in Jordan. They are mainly used in magnets in electric motors and other high-tech products. In the USA, they are being mined and processed directly for the first time in the western world.
And then there is another raw material – phosphorus. It is irreplaceable in fertilizer. Jordan is one of the world’s largest producers of phosphorus. But global supplies are running out. A promising deposit has been found in Norway that could supply the whole world.
Part 2
From the deepest mine in the world to urban mines – South Africa and Namibia are characterized by mining. Geologist Colin Devey looks at an age-old industry that we will need more than ever in the future.
Colin Devey knows that mankind will need a lot of metals very quickly in order to achieve the global climate targets. Without the continent of Africa, with its efforts in mining and its significant deposits of raw materials, it will not be possible.
When it comes to mining these raw materials, nowhere has been dug deeper than in the area around Johannesburg – almost 4,000 meters deep in the search for gold. An approach that could be groundbreaking for Europe, as many new deposits are suspected deep underground here too.
Whether Cape Town or Las Vegas: The world’s cities are home to around 75 percent of all mined raw materials. They are part of the infrastructure of our everyday lives. Cities are huge urban mines. Recycling and the circular economy can make the raw materials in them usable again and thus reduce the need for mining.
But it won’t work entirely without mining: A lot of rock is processed for the required metals. This is energy-intensive and produces a lot of CO2 – a greenhouse gas that can be fossilized underground in Iceland. There is also potential for storage in rocks in Germany: with basalt.
In addition to industrial mining, there is also illegal small-scale mining – as in Namibia. Around 100 million people worldwide are dependent on this life-threatening work. They dig for gold, cobalt or tantalum – metals that also end up in our devices. But in the most modern mine in the world, in the north of Sweden, no one has to risk their lives.
Written and directed by Ole Gurr
A production by K22 on behalf of ZDF in cooperation with ARTE
2 x 43 min | 2024