There is a new term that is very common in the news these days: critical minerals.
The term critical minerals can be traced back at least as far as the First World War. There is apparently no single person who coined the term, but in my humble opinion, it is a clever term.
Because it is such a generic term, there are many minerals that could be deemed 鈥渃ritical鈥� but in our modern world, some of them in particular are critical for making our cutting-edge technologies work.
So think cellphones, other advanced electronics, electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines, and many more promising and helpful new inventions.
When I say helpful, yes, many of these are technologies promise to make our economies more sustainable and greener, especially in reducing use of a particular critical resource 鈥� fossil fuels.
Politicians of all persuasions and levels are throwing around the term a lot these days, and often sounding very green as they do because critical minerals are indeed critical for keeping up with green technologies.
So, 鈥渓et鈥檚 just have at 鈥榚m and go get those critical minerals,鈥� becomes the mantra.
But, wait a minute 鈥� where do they come from and how do we get them?
Shouldn鈥檛 we take a critical look at these critical minerals?
In fact, we as a society have failed to take a thorough, critical look as the technology forges ahead and industry and governments advocate pillaging the earth to extract these golden treasures (critical minerals literally including gold).
Approval of Canadian government鈥檚 recent bill to speed up approval of 鈥渟hovel ready鈥� projects very much includes digging for critical minerals.
As Energy and Natural Resources Ministry Tim Hodgson said recently: 鈥淎t the G7, all of the countries said they wanted to buy Canadian critical minerals.鈥�
This pursuit of critical mineral extraction is big here in British Columbia.
Take for example, an area in the region of Taku, B.C. 鈥� located just shy of the border of the Yukon 鈥� sometimes known as 鈥淭he Golden Triangle鈥� in reference to its gold, silver, and copper deposits.
There, Canagold Resources Ltd. is seeking to open a new gold mine.
However, the locals are still worried about the cleanup of the previous gold mine in the area.
How could they approve a new mine when there are critical issues with the old one? asks John Morris Sr. who is an elder with the Taku River Tlingit First Nation.
The Taku is an 87 km glacial fed river flowing to the sea near Juneau, Alaska, and is renown for supporting significant runs of Chinook salmon 鈥� a critical resource for First Nations.
Mining technology is also improving, and just saying 鈥渘o鈥� to mining critical mineral is clearly not an option.
However, digging up these treasures should be planned with a critical eye, lest we be blinded by their glittering promise.
鈥�&苍产蝉辫; PhD, is a professor of biology and environmental studies at Trinity Western University
