Yesterday, I heard the news that commodity prices had dropped significantly in the past few months. Prices for Gold, Copper, and other metals had lost value, in terms of dollars, with significant drops in price. Copper was almost $5 per pound a few years ago. Now it's down to $2.50.
To investors in those markets, this is bad news, perhaps. After all, they effectively bought something that's now worth about half of what it was back then.
But my first thought was of news stories that reported on political wrangling over plans to start new copper mines in Michigan and Alaska a few years ago. The impact of these mines is not just in the excavation of the land to reach the copper ore, but in the by-products of the mining process. Since the ore weighs many tons more than refined copper, the first major step in refining it takes place right at the mine site. This produces vast quantities of waste, a major component of which is sulfuric acid. This waste is a liquid, which accumulates in huge ponds, created for the purpose. The waste just sits there indefinitely, as there is no cost effective use for it, or practical means to recycle it. When the ponds leak or their banks break open, which inevitably happens, this waste spills out and kills all life in its path.
So, rather than feeling sad about lost profits, Mother Nature is likely to be much happier. She can take a breather from the relentless attack that we humans seem to be waging. That's because it's now less likely that these mines will be started, given the reduced economic benefit of doing so. The waste won't be generated, and the natural surroundings will be less at risk of a horrible death.
I am fascinated by the idea that, yet again, although political pressure may have helped delay the start of the mines, the more effective force stopping them is the economy overall. That in turn, is largely driven by demand. If people are slowly becoming less and less fascinated with accumulating material possessions, and instead saving energy, and buying more things made locally, then demand for these commodities shrinks. In the long run, I see this as the best way to cut back on how fast we destroy the surface of this planet.
In other words, in addition to saying "No" to industry and elected officials, we are saying "Yes" to a new way to live. It means we're living more in harmony with Mother Nature. And if Mother Nature is happy, then I'm more likely to be happy as well.
To investors in those markets, this is bad news, perhaps. After all, they effectively bought something that's now worth about half of what it was back then.
But my first thought was of news stories that reported on political wrangling over plans to start new copper mines in Michigan and Alaska a few years ago. The impact of these mines is not just in the excavation of the land to reach the copper ore, but in the by-products of the mining process. Since the ore weighs many tons more than refined copper, the first major step in refining it takes place right at the mine site. This produces vast quantities of waste, a major component of which is sulfuric acid. This waste is a liquid, which accumulates in huge ponds, created for the purpose. The waste just sits there indefinitely, as there is no cost effective use for it, or practical means to recycle it. When the ponds leak or their banks break open, which inevitably happens, this waste spills out and kills all life in its path.
So, rather than feeling sad about lost profits, Mother Nature is likely to be much happier. She can take a breather from the relentless attack that we humans seem to be waging. That's because it's now less likely that these mines will be started, given the reduced economic benefit of doing so. The waste won't be generated, and the natural surroundings will be less at risk of a horrible death.
I am fascinated by the idea that, yet again, although political pressure may have helped delay the start of the mines, the more effective force stopping them is the economy overall. That in turn, is largely driven by demand. If people are slowly becoming less and less fascinated with accumulating material possessions, and instead saving energy, and buying more things made locally, then demand for these commodities shrinks. In the long run, I see this as the best way to cut back on how fast we destroy the surface of this planet.
In other words, in addition to saying "No" to industry and elected officials, we are saying "Yes" to a new way to live. It means we're living more in harmony with Mother Nature. And if Mother Nature is happy, then I'm more likely to be happy as well.
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