The Rare Metals War

the dark side of clean energy and digital technologies
Guillaume Pitron (trans. Bianca Jacobsohn)

‘French Writer and analyst Guillaume Pitron warns about growing reliance on rare-earth metals — which are necessary to build high-tech products … He shines a light on “the untold story” of the energy and digital transitions.’

European Scientist

‘An expert account of a poorly understood but critical element in our economy.’

Kirkus Reviews

View all reviews

‘[E]xposes the dirty underpinnings of clean technologies in a debut that raises valid questions about energy extraction.’

Publishers Weekly

‘The Rare Metals War is Guillaume Pitron’s urgent exposé of the race for resources and an examination of its environmental and human impacts.’

Dan Shaw, Happy Magazine

‘Recognising that the latest technologies might not be as green as we like to think is a good place to start planning for a better world.’

John Arlidge, The Sunday Times

‘Both novel and eye opening … The Rare Metals War is worth the read.’

Art Flynn, Irish Examiner

‘Global demand for rare metals is rapidly rising. Guillaume Pitron explores and exposes the geopolitical, economic, environmental, and societal impacts of securing supplies of these raw materials … The issues raised give pause to the thinking that many of the world’s problems will be solved with a rapid shift to global energy generation from renewable sources. Pitron articulately outlines the precarious status of global supply of these raw materials, and the toll to the environment and human health that their extraction and processing has caused, particularly in the worlds leading rare metal player, China … Pitron exposes a terrible legacy to rare metal production, including accounts of corruption, exploitation, environmental degradation, and toxic exposure.’

Carl Spandler, Associate Professor and Director of the Australian Critical Minerals Research Centre at the University of Adelaide

‘Normally the sight of photovoltaic panels and wind turbines fills me with hope, but after reading this book I have my doubts … In The Rare Metals War, French investigative journalist Guillaume Pitron sounds the alarm, showing both the environmental impact and China's chokehold on the market … The Rare Metals War is a powerful and sobering exposé that will no doubt shatter the green dreams of many readers. However, we cannot continue to ignore the material reality that underlies the green revolution that politicians and environmental organisations want us to pursue. This book is a much-needed conversation starter.’

Leon Vlieger, NHBS

‘Demand for rare metals can only increase in the move to a zero-carbon economy. The Rare Metals War by Guillaume Pitron lays out the terrifying cost … Zipping from an abandoned mine in the Mojave desert to the toxic lakes and cancer-afflicted areas of Baotou in China, Pitron weighs the awful price of refining the materials, ably blending investigative journalism with insights from science, politics and business.’

Simon Ings, New Scientist

‘In our race to save the climate, a new book claims that we are destroying the environment and starting a new war over natural resources … He is concerned that we are escaping one trap merely to fall into another.’

Harry de Quetteville, The Telegraph

‘He asserts the sustainable economy is a “ruse”. The capture and use of renewable, non-polluting energy relies on resources neither renewable nor non-polluting … The Rare Metals War is framed by an ecological critique of industrial production and a neocolonial critique of the world economic order.’

Paul Gillen, Post Magazine

‘This book reveals the dark side of the world that awaits us. It is an undercover tale of a technological odyssey that has promised much, and a look behind the scenes … Drawing on six years of research across a dozen countries, this book shows that by breaking free of fossil fuels, we are in fact setting ourselves up for a new dependence - on rare metals that have become vital to our new ecological and digital society.’

BookAuthority

‘Guillame Pitron’s book, The Rare Metals War, fills in some of the gaps in this green and digital technology story… He says that the environmental impact of rare earth metals “could prove far more severe than that of oil extraction” … There are stories of the detrimental effects of mining rare metals on workers and communities all over the world from Kazakhstan to France to Congo to Bolivia. Pitron suggests that an environmentally ethical approach to mining outside China is possible if the quest for financial gain is set aside.’

Clare Wilkins, Socialism Today

‘[T]he journalist and filmmaker warns against the optimistic belief that technology is the solution … At a time when many claim to be “citizens of the world” or retreat into naive or hypocritical protectionism, Pitron’s book is an attempt to open people’s eyes to the consequences of their societal choices and lifestyles.’

Green European Journal

The resources race is on. Powering our digital lives and green technologies are some of the Earth’s most precious metals — but they are running out. And what will happen when they do?

The green-tech revolution has been lauded as the silver bullet to a new world. One that is at last free of oil, pollution, shortages, and cross-border tensions. Drawing on six years of research across a dozen countries, this book cuts across conventional green thinking to probe the hidden, dark side of green technology.

By breaking free of fossil fuels, we are in fact setting ourselves up for a new dependence — on rare metals such as cobalt, gold, and palladium. They are essential to electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels, our smartphones, computers, tablets, and other everyday connected objects. China has captured the lion’s share of the rare metals industry, but consumers know very little about how they are mined and traded, or their environmental, economic, and geopolitical costs.

The Rare Metals War is a vital exposé of the ticking time-bomb that lies beneath our new technological order. It uncovers the reality of our lavish and ambitious environmental quest that involves risks as formidable as those it seeks to resolve.

European Scientist

‘An expert account of a poorly understood but critical element in our economy.’

Kirkus Reviews

View all reviews

‘[E]xposes the dirty underpinnings of clean technologies in a debut that raises valid questions about energy extraction.’

Publishers Weekly

‘The Rare Metals War is Guillaume Pitron’s urgent exposé of the race for resources and an examination of its environmental and human impacts.’

Dan Shaw, Happy Magazine

‘Recognising that the latest technologies might not be as green as we like to think is a good place to start planning for a better world.’

John Arlidge, The Sunday Times

‘Both novel and eye opening … The Rare Metals War is worth the read.’

Art Flynn, Irish Examiner

Carl Spandler, Associate Professor and Director of the Australian Critical Minerals Research Centre at the University of Adelaide

Leon Vlieger, NHBS

Simon Ings, New Scientist

Harry de Quetteville, The Telegraph

Paul Gillen, Post Magazine

BookAuthority

Clare Wilkins, Socialism Today

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Details

Format:Paperback

Size: 234mm × 153mm

Extent:288pp

ISBN (13):9781925849325

RRP:$35.00

Pub date:4 Aug 2020

High-res cover:Download Image

AWARDS

2022 Business Book Award in the Smart Thinking category - Short-listed 2021 ABDA Best Designed Autobiography/Biography/Memoir/Non-Fiction Cover - Long-listed 2018 BFMTV’s Economic Book of the Year - Winner 2018 Cosnes City Book Fair Readers' Club Award - Winner 2018 HEC Student Prize - Winner 2018 ManpowerGroup/HEC Paris Literary Award - Winner 2018 Prix Turgot, Best Financial Economy - Winner 2018 The French Geographical Society Escourrou Award - Winner

CATEGORIES / tags

AUTHOR

Guillaume Pitron

Guillaume Pitron, born in 1980, is a French award-winning journalist and documentary-maker for France’s leading television channels. His work focuses on commodities and on the economic, political, and environmental issues associated with their use. The Rare Metals War, his first book, sold 80,000 copies in France and has been translated into ten languages. Guillaume Pitron holds a master’s degree in international law from the University of Georgetown (Washington, DC), and is a TEDx speaker. More information at www.en-guillaumepitron.com.

TRANSLATOR

Bianca Jacobsohn

Bianca Jacobsohn is a South African and French translator and conference interpreter who specialises in energy, finance, strategic metals, and diplomacy. More information at www.biancajacobsohn.com.

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