Beiser’s research is alarming and his evidence sobering, but his well-informed conclusions are difficult to deny.
A disturbing study of the high cost of the secret machinery embedded in our myriad digital devices.
It is easy to think of electric vehicles, green energy, and other advanced technology as surefire ways to save the planet, but award-winning journalist Beiser, author of The World in a Grain, advises us to look at the issues more deeply to assess the true costs. The author focuses on the metals required to power new-gen tech, which include huge amounts of copper and nickel as well as cobalt, boron, lithium, and less familiar substances like gallium and germanium. These elements are necessary for batteries and chips that support everything from EVs and smartphones to wind turbines and solar panels. A critical problem is that mining and refining these metals can, if not done carefully, create horrifying environmental and humanitarian problems. The key players in the global business are China and Russia, which deliberately chose to accept the damage in order to cut costs and corner the market. Both countries have shown themselves willing to leverage their positions for geopolitical advantage. Other countries have acknowledged the danger and are trying to catch up in the marketplace, but there is a long way to go. Beiser also investigates the global market in scrap, noting that the recycling of the metals in tech devices is useful but often exploitative to laborers. The U.S. has huge mineral resources, but to develop them without damaging the environment would be expensive. Beiser argues that the higher costs must be borne and that the cheap ride enjoyed so far is not really so cheap. This is a message that many people might not want to hear, but the author underlines the point that there is no real alternative.
Beiser’s research is alarming and his evidence sobering, but his well-informed conclusions are difficult to deny.Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2024
ISBN: 9780593541708
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Riverhead
Review Posted Online: June 11, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Occasionally wonky but overall a good case for how the dismal science can make the world less—well, dismal.
“Quality of life means more than just consumption”: Two MIT economists urge that a smarter, more politically aware economics be brought to bear on social issues.
It’s no secret, write Banerjee and Duflo (co-authors: Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way To Fight Global Poverty, 2011), that “we seem to have fallen on hard times.” Immigration, trade, inequality, and taxation problems present themselves daily, and they seem to be intractable. Economics can be put to use in figuring out these big-issue questions. Data can be adduced, for example, to answer the question of whether immigration tends to suppress wages. The answer: “There is no evidence low-skilled migration to rich countries drives wage and employment down for the natives.” In fact, it opens up opportunities for those natives by freeing them to look for better work. The problem becomes thornier when it comes to the matter of free trade; as the authors observe, “left-behind people live in left-behind places,” which explains why regional poverty descended on Appalachia when so many manufacturing jobs left for China in the age of globalism, leaving behind not just left-behind people but also people ripe for exploitation by nationalist politicians. The authors add, interestingly, that the same thing occurred in parts of Germany, Spain, and Norway that fell victim to the “China shock.” In what they call a “slightly technical aside,” they build a case for addressing trade issues not with trade wars but with consumption taxes: “It makes no sense to ask agricultural workers to lose their jobs just so steelworkers can keep theirs, which is what tariffs accomplish.” Policymakers might want to consider such counsel, especially when it is coupled with the observation that free trade benefits workers in poor countries but punishes workers in rich ones.
Occasionally wonky but overall a good case for how the dismal science can make the world less—well, dismal.Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-61039-950-0
Page Count: 432
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Review Posted Online: Aug. 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
A heartwarming and inspiring story for animal lovers.
The third volume in the Elephant Whisperer series.
In this follow-up to An Elephant in My Kitchen, Malby-Anthony continues her loving portrait of the Thula Thula wildlife reserve, which she co-founded in 1998 with her late husband, South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony, who published the first book in the series, The Elephant Whisperer, in 2009. Following his death in 2012, Malby-Anthony sought to honor his legacy by continuing his vision “to create a massive conservancy in Zululand, incorporating our land and other small farms and community land into one great big game park.” At the same time, the elephants gave her “a sense of purpose and direction.” In the Zulu language, thula means quiet, and though the author consistently seeks to provide that calm to her charges, peace and tranquility are not always easy to come by at Thula Thula. In this installment, Malby-Anthony discusses many of the challenges faced by her and her staff, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. These included an aggressive, 2-ton rhino named Thabo; the profound loss felt by all upon the death of their elephant matriarch, Frankie; difficulty obtaining permits and the related risk of having to relocate or cull some of their animals; the fear of looting and fire due to civil unrest in the region; and the ongoing and potentially deadly struggles with poachers. Throughout, the author also shares many warm, lighthearted moments, demonstrating the deep bond felt among the humans and animals at the reserve and the powerful effects of the kindness of strangers. “We are all working in unity for the greater good, for the betterment of Thula Thula and all our wildlife….We are humbled by the generosity and love, both from our guests and friends, and from strangers all around the world,” writes the author. “People’s open-hearted support kept us alive in the darkest times.”
A heartwarming and inspiring story for animal lovers.Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 9781250284259
Page Count: 320
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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