In the second half of this episode of our Cleantech Talk podcast interview series, Zachary Shahan, Director and CEO of CleanTechnica, and Josh Goldman, cofounder and CFO/CTO at KoBold Metals, continue their conversation about mineral exploration. You can listen to the full conversation in the embedded player below. Below that embedded SoundCloud player is a brief summary of the topics covered, but tune into the podcast to follow the full discussions.
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Zach and Josh launch the second half of this podcast by talking about the nature of innovation in the natural resources sphere. Josh sees one space to apply technology could be extracting higher-quality minerals from low-grade resources, though the process is incredibly disruptive. Instead, he believes KoBold is tackling the supply challenge in a more effective way by finding high-quality resources in new locations. The innovation for KoBold comes from leveraging the right technology and data to identify those sites.
Zach and Josh talk a bit more about the social and environmental implications of mining. Josh believes that KoBold, as an exploration company, has a responsibility to consider these challenges. Josh, however, does believe that it is possible to develop these resources responsibly and in ways that ensure the communities near the sites are benefiting from the process.
The two then take time to talk about politics and the most relevant policy matters concerning electric vehicles and the battery supply chain. Josh sees an increasing recognition that these critical materials are necessary for meeting climate goals globally. He also believes that while recycling the materials might be one way to keep meeting needs for solar panels and electric vehicles, there are not sufficient stocks already in circulation that would let us meet future demand by recycling. With more raw materials being necessary, Josh is wondering how the United States can enable sustainable development of these mineral resources.
Zach and Josh wrap up the second half of this podcast by talking about some of the biggest barriers to the sustainable development of mineral resources. They also chat briefly about what to expect for 2030 and their excitement for the future.
To hear more on these topics, listen to the show!
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