The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives

by Ernest Scheyder

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A complex issue on a worldwide scale, Scheyder examines mining communities and the toll climate change takes on us all.

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 Below reveals 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781668011805
Publisher:	Atria/One Signal Publishers
Publication date:	01/30/2024
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	61,236
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Ernest Scheyder is a senior correspondent for Reuters, covering the green energy transition and the minerals that undergird it. He previously covered the US shale oil revolution, politics, and the environment, and held roles at the Associated Press and the Bangor Daily News. A native of Maine, Scheyder is a graduate of the University of Maine and Columbia Journalism School. Visit his website at ErnestScheyder.com and follow him on Twitter @ErnestScheyder.

Editorial Reviews

12/18/2023

Journalist Scheyder debuts with a thorny chronicle of domestic and international clashes over the mining of lithium, copper, gold, nickel, and other minerals key to shifting away from fossil fuels. As one company executive company remarks, “You can’t have green energy without mining.” But staving off the worst effects of climate change comes with its own scourge, as Scheyder makes clear through discussions of a series of ethically complex cases: Should lithium be mined on isolated Nevada hillscapes if the digging threatens a rare flower found nowhere else on Earth? How much more damage should Indigenous peoples endure to the Arizona lands they hold sacred? Can a North Carolina farming community hold off a company that intends to mine land adjacent to their properties if they refuse to sell? Well-acquainted with the finely tuned business calculations and relentless political jockeying that surround these mining operations, Scheyder explains how companies try to work with, and also outwit, environmental advocates, government whistleblowers, and locals trying to preserve their ways of life. David vs. Goliath battles butt up against very real planetary perils in this evocative account of the energy transition’s myriad complexities. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"A nuanced and invaluable deep dive into the questions that need to be addressed if we are to fight climate change and achieve energy security."
—Financial Times

"An excellent read."
—Forbes

“Incredibly important.”
—BBC World

“Highlights the myriad difficulties faced by the people who build mines, as well as those hurt by or opposed to them.”
—Wall Street Journal

"A much-needed introduction to one of the defining issues of our time."
—New York Post

"Insightful...the stories he shares are stark reminders of why we need to have a systems view of material supply, from mines to markets."
—Science

"To uncover the inconvenient truths and the often overlooked tradeoffs of the energy transition, Reuters reporter Ernest Scheyder takes readers on a journey through American history, geopolitics, and the business world."
—Fortune, Best Books of 2023

“Clear and nuanced... fair and evenhanded.”
—Christian Science Monitor

"Authoritative analysis of a crucial issue and the tough choices ahead, backed by solid research."
—Kirkus (starred review)

"David vs. Goliath battles butt up against very real planetary perils in this evocative account of the energy transition’s myriad complexities."
—Publishers Weekly

"For readers eager to learn about this industry, this is a sound start."
—Booklist

"With his keen eye for detail and gift for storytelling, Scheyder digs deeply into the vast mineral supply chain supporting the electrical vehicle revolution, the political and economic forces driving it, and the far-reaching consequences for biodiversity, the environment, and the communities wherever these resources are found. Required reading for anyone interested in the 360-degree impacts of the energy transition."
—Daniel Poneman, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy

“The War Below is an entertaining and insightful look at the enormous complexity—technological, environmental, financial and political—of mining the metals needed to make the green energy revolution possible. It illuminates a dimension of the challenge confronting the energy transition that is little understood and dangerously real—a wakeup call for us all.”
—Michael Kowalski, former CEO and Chairman, Tiffany & Co.

“In The War Below, Ernest Scheyder unearths the contours of the struggles to mine the minerals essential for America’s energy transition. Combining reportorial grit with literary skill he vividly captures the physical and political landscapes over which the future is being fought.”
—Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer-Prize winning author of The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations and The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power

"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. Scheyder's detailed storytelling and research help convey what's at stake in this new 'race to the bottom.'"
—Payal Sampat, Earthworks

From the Publisher

★ 2023-09-20
Going green will require new materials, but getting them raises difficult questions.

The long conflict between resource development and environmental protection shows no signs of abating, and a crucial new dimension has been added, according to Reuters senior correspondent Scheyder. If the U.S. wants to address climate change and transition to a sustainable economy, it must have supplies of the necessary materials. Lithium, a critical component of the batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage, is particularly crucial, but copper, cobalt, nickel, and manganese are also necessary. Most of these are difficult to mine, even harder to process, and the process requires massive investment. Several countries, including the U.S., have resources in the ground, but at present, China dominates production and processing. Among many other sites around the world, Scheyder follows a case concerning the huge Rhyolite Ridge lithium deposit in Nevada. The problem is that mining might endanger a unique buckwheat flower. Other proposed projects raise environmental concerns or could disturb sites sacred to Indigenous peoples. The mining companies say they can extract the resources responsibly, but opponents point out that their record is poor when it comes to conservation. The issue for environmental activists and regulatory agencies is one of competing priorities. Should we allow mining as a means of addressing climate change and hope it doesn’t create other problems, or prevent it and hope that China will be a reliable partner? Scheyder does not come down on either side; his intent is to highlight the difficulty of the decisions that leaders must make in the coming years. To his credit, he visited several of the proposed projects and talked to the people involved. The result is a well-informed, fair-minded book that deserves attention from many quarters.

Authoritative analysis of a crucial issue and the tough choices ahead, backed by solid research.

Kirkus Reviews

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."

former United States senator of North Dakota Heidi Heitkamp