Lily Tade

The need for copper is increasing with the global shift from combustion-based energy like gas and oil to electrical energy. While this change will likely reduce carbon emissions and perhaps even decrease the demand for oil, copper mining comes with its own set of environmentally hazardous side effects. Mining and processing copper ore requires great volumes of water and most copper deposits in the United States are located in the west, an area already plagued by frequent drought. Mining deep into the earth replaces fragile habitats with enormous craters and releases mercury, sulfuric acid, lead, and PCBs into the ecosystem, polluting the waterways and aquifers for decades upon decades.

To meet the current demand for copper, we will need to mine 115% more copper than has ever been mined in human history over the next 30 years. That is to meet only the current demand and does not take into account the predicted increase in demand with the rise of electric vehicles, data centers, and other electricity-dependent industries. To meet the predicted demand, 35 – 194 new, largescale copper mines will need to be created globally. This begs for a re-evaluation of our concepts of “sustainable energy.” Are we moving forward or simply replacing one devil with another?

Wet Wet Mud III: Texture Group Show at Companion Gallery, Indianapolis, IN