Rod Sims, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Australia has a massive opportunity to reduce global emissions by as much as 9%, all while renewing its heavy industries and economy. But to seize the opportunity, government needs to move fast.
Mining and extracting metals has ecologically damaging consequences.
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The Trump administration recently imposed tariffs of up to 25 percent on foreign steel and aluminum – including from the EU, Canada and Mexico, the three biggest markets for American goods.
Miners in several countries have suffered the side-effects of the gold bonanza.
(AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Canada rushed to counter a deadly lung disease afflicting gold miners in the early 20th century. The “quick fix” cure that was invented is a symbol of the lurch towards global industrialization.
While cooking food in aluminium pots isn’t a bad thing, doing so in foil is problematic. Over-exposure to aluminium may pose serious threats to human health.
Batteries can cut carbon emissions, but mining the metals and other resources needed to make them can be a dirty business.
Jon Seb Barber/Wikimedia Commons
The advent of battery storage heralds an even deeper embrace of electric cars and renewable energy. But amid the green tech revolution, we should be wary of creating new pollution problems.
Alcoa is to close its Point Henry smelter in Geelong.
AAP
Alcoa’s decision to close the Point Henry smelter, at a cost of almost 1000 jobs in Geelong and elsewhere, comes amid a perfect storm buffeting Australia’s aluminium industry. Point Henry will be the second…
The vast majority of us will never be exposed to aluminium in high enough concentrations to do damage.
ezioman/Flickr
Silvery, ductile, malleable and so very, very useful, aluminium is the most common metal in the Earth’s crust. But despite its importance (or perhaps because of it), there are fears that this metal causes…
The Australian aluminium industry is in the doldrums. A high dollar, low prices and Asian competition are threatening the industry, with older plants in New South Wales and Victoria under threat of closure…
With Alcoa reviewing its Geelong smelter, just what is the future for the aluminium industry?
AAP
The sight of molten metal pouring from a furnace has long been an iconic symbol of industrial might and wealth. In Australia, the metallurgical industries have provided long term jobs and wealth to many…