第1735期:Study Says World Has Enough Earth Metals for Green Energy

A recent study says there are enough rare earth metals on Earth for new “low-carbon electricity generation” technologies. Rare earth metals come from minerals found in countries around the world. The researchers said more mining is needed to make more of the valuable metals available to industry. Rare earth metals are in demand for products such as magnets, wind turbines, solar panels and computers. All are part of the “green energy” push to remove carbon gases from electricity generation. The researchers said the amount of minerals available is enough to supply a switch to renewable energy. They wrote that the carbon gasses “related to electricity infrastructure may be substantial.” But the study said it would be between one and nine percent of the world’s budget for carbon gas production.

最近的一项研究表明，地球上有足够的稀土金属用于新的“低碳发电”技术。稀土金属来自世界各国发现的矿物。研究人员表示，需要进行更多的开采才能为工业提供更多有价值的金属。磁铁、风力涡轮机、太阳能电池板和计算机等产品对稀土金属有需求。所有这些都是推动从发电中去除碳气体的“绿色能源”的一部分。研究人员表示，可用的矿物质数量足以提供向可再生能源的转换。他们写道，“与电力基础设施相关的碳气体可能很多。”但该研究称，这将占世界碳气体生产预算的 1% 到 9%。

The study came out recently in the science publication Joule. Zeke Hausfather helped write the study. He is an expert who works at a technology company called Stripe and at Berkeley Earth, a non-profit climate research group. He called the process “big and messy.” But he thinks reducing carbon gases, or “decarbonization,” can be done. He said he is not worried about the long-term supply of rare earth materials. However, the scientists warn that in the early days of the switch to green energy, there will be shortages. For example, there could be a shortage of the element called dysprosium. It is used to make strong magnets. Industry will require three times more of the metal than is produced now. However, there is 12 times more dysprosium available than needed, the researchers said.

这项研究最近发表在科学出版物《焦耳》上。Zeke Hausfather 帮助撰写了这项研究。他是一名专家，在一家名为 Stripe 的科技公司和非营利性气候研究组织 Berkeley Earth 工作。他称这个过程“庞大而混乱”。但他认为减少碳气体或“脱碳”是可以做到的。他表示，他并不担心稀土材料的长期供应。然而，科学家们警告说，在转向绿色能源的初期，会出现短缺。例如，称为镝的元素可能会短缺。用于制造强力磁铁。工业对这种金属的需求量将是现在生产量的三倍。然而，研究人员表示，可用镝是所需量的 12 倍。

Another element is tellurium, which is used in large groups of solar panels, called solar farms. There is just enough of that material available if the world makes a fast push to solar power, the researchers said. In addition, there are other materials that can be used instead of tellurium if needed. Daniel Ibarra is an environment professor at Brown University. He did not take part in the study but knows about lithium shortages. He told the Associated Press that the study was “robust” and “debunks” concerns about running out of rare earth materials. He said the main question is if production of the materials can keep up with demand. The United States Geological Survey reports that the countries with the largest supplies of rare earth metals are China, Vietnam, Russia and Myanmar, also known as Burma. The study also noted that mining causes pollution. But the scientists said that if the world switches to green energy, the mining will not be a problem.

另一种元素是碲，用于大量太阳能电池板，称为太阳能农场。研究人员说，如果世界快速推动太阳能发电，那么可用的材料就足够了。此外，如果需要，还有其他材料可以代替碲。丹尼尔·伊巴拉 (Daniel Ibarra) 是布朗大学的环境教授。他没有参加这项研究，但知道锂短缺。他告诉美联社，这项研究是“稳健的”并且“揭穿”了对稀土材料耗尽的担忧。他说，主要问题是材料的生产能否满足需求。美国地质调查局报告称，稀土金属供应量最大的国家是中国、越南、俄罗斯和缅甸，又称缅甸。该研究还指出，采矿会造成污染。但科学家们表示，如果世界转向绿色能源，采矿将不会成为问题。

Rob Jackson is an energy expert and studies how humans affect the earth, but was not involved in the study. He is a professor at Stanford University. He said even with evidence that there are enough rare earth materials, humans should still be concerned with creating less pollution. “Along with mining more, we should be using less,” he said. The study centered on the creation of electric power and did not look at the materials used in electric car batteries. Hausfather said that study is too complicated and will be examined by the team next.

Rob Jackson 是一位能源专家，研究人类如何影响地球，但他没有参与这项研究。他是斯坦福大学的教授。他说，即使有证据表明有足够的稀土材料，人类仍然应该关注减少污染。“随着开采更多，我们应该减少使用，”他说。该研究以电力的创造为中心，并没有研究电动汽车电池中使用的材料。Hausfather 说这项研究太复杂了，接下来将由团队进行检查。