The War Below

Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives

By: Ernest Scheyder

Narrated by: Matt Godfrey

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION AND THE 2024 FINANCIAL TIMES AND SCHRODERS BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD

This unprecedented look inside the global battle to power our lives is “required reading for anyone interested in the 360-degree impacts of the energy transition” (Daniel Poneman, former US Deputy Secretary of Energy) from acclaimed Reuters reporter Ernest Scheyder.

To build electric vehicles, solar panels, cell phones, and millions of other devices means the world must dig more mines to extract lithium, copper, and other vital building blocks. But mines are deeply unpopular, even as they have a role to play in fighting climate change and powering crucial technologies. These tensions have sparked a worldwide reckoning over the sourcing of necessary materials, and no one understands the complexities of these issues better than Ernest Scheyder.

The War Belowreveals the explosive brawl among industry titans, conservationists, community groups, policymakers, and many others over whether the habitats of rare plants, sensitive ecosystems, Indigenous holy sites, and other places should be dug up for their riches.

With accessible and “illuminating” (Chris Miller, author of Chip War) writing, Scheyder shows the human toll of this war and explains why recycling and other newer technologies have struggled to gain widespread use. He also expertly chronicles Washington’s attempts to wean itself off supplies from China, the global leader in mineral production and processing. The War Below paints a powerfully honest and nuanced picture of what is at stake in this new fight for energy independence, revealing how America and the rest of the world’s hunt for the “new oil” directly affects us all.

Critic reviews

"The War Below provides an illuminating account of the global struggle for control of critical minerals. As the world uses more batteries it will need vastly more lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper. The War Below takes readers on an extraordinary journey from the bottom of the world's deepest mines to the commanding heights of the world's energy system. Scheyder uncovers the forces shaping the struggle for critical minerals, from geopolitical competition between China and the U.S. to political clashes between environmental groups and the world's largest mining firms. This is essential reading for understanding the critical minerals upon which the energy transition—and our future prosperity—relies."
—Chris Miller, author of Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology

"Finally, the real story of the difficulties of mining and processing enough minerals in the US to supply a green, carbon free energy transition. Scheyder introduces us to the people living in our mining communities whose lives are greatly affected by America's goal to de-carbon energy. In this telling we confront the reality that there are no easy answers or quick fixes. We are also made uncomfortable with the ethics of wanting to preserve our beautiful places, while we rely on foreign supply chains where minerals are mined and processed with no real attention to environmental, labor, and human rights abuses."
—Heidi Heitkamp, Former United States Senator of North Dakota

"Addressing climate change by digging up the earth for minerals is like putting out a fire with gasoline. Veteran journalist Scheyder helps cut through the smoke with his new book. The War Below gives the reader a front row seat to one of the critical debates of our time: how to power the clean energy transition without adding to ecological and human harm through irresponsible mining. Ernie's detailed storytelling and research help convey what's at stake in this new 'race to the bottom.'"
—Payal Sampat, Earthworks

Gold Standard for Mining (pun intended)

Scheyder has dedicated a large part of his life, heart, and soul to provide an objective yet quite compelling evaluation of the tensions between our green goals and commercial reality. Reads like a wonderful novel yet details the ebb and flow of our world’s crucial tug of war to make this world a better place.

I love the way the author is so descriptive

If you're interested in becoming a better consumer , this book is a must read. It is so informative and the author is very descriptive. Which makes you feel like you were with him as he traveled around visiting mines and potentially mine sites.

Storytelling and current importance

The is so much information on this book, I will read it again. Im sure I’ll enjoy it just as much!

Land Management Policy for Mining

This book is a way to prime the subject, take a long view, and know the players. Long term, You are better off reading frequent articles on Mining.Com because the stories hear are very dynamic. The author is a notable contributor to Mining.Com. This is not a book on mining Engineering, it's about mining politics.

The politics of mining are thick. The combination of land priority is also massive. Fishing, Recreation, Tourism, Religion, Labor Economics, Politics, Biosphere Stewardship, International Trade, Defense Policy, and Climate actions come together in these different stories. You will get some cringy Woke and Climate Hysteria in this book, but it's all in the mix. Why bother with Lithium mining if the Lithium was not so important to battery technology. The author lets the players talk, you get the crazy details. From Extremist Feminist men, to bribe hungry Andean Aborigines, to working class hopes in Arizona, to Entrepreneurs with millions of dollars in the game.

PSA to non Hispanics, "Bolivia" is a fake conjured country. Named for a Venezuelan that never lived there that was an agent of British investment speculators in 1800's. The territory was managed by Spain via the La Plata viceroy. The rural residents had no clue they were "Bolivians" until someone told them so. Peru and Argentina would have gone to war to settle things but all were busy fending off other enemies. The territory given to "Bolivia" was everything that Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil could not agree was their's.

The writer is clever, he demonstrates the contradictions cleverly. Some people think you can 'save the world' with new tech, but you may have to 'radically alter' or 'destroy' an existing eco-system. Or do you? The book talks about recycling too. The eco-systems could be a lake, desert, fishing estuary, or canyon lands. They are meaningful to someone. Lawyers, Diplomats, and Politicians are going to play a role that is going to be on-par with Engineers and Scientists.

Fascinating, inciteful, and clear

well researched, compelling examples of the in-pass battle for a green energy economy. I'm much smarter and informed by reading this book!