copper mine

The global hunger for raw materials such as oil and coal, metals, gravel, sand and other resources is growing unabated. We dig holes in the ground to tap into the Earth's natural resources. We excavate, blast, clear or burn to extract them. In 2017, the global material extraction footprint was as big as 92 billion metric tons. It is projected to grow to 190 billion metric tons by 2060. The world's population today lives as if it had 1.6 Earth's at its disposal.

The Copper Mine Series I delivers an overview of the Rio Tinto mine project in Andalusia, Spain. It’s the largest open-pit mine in Europe and one of those places everyone likely has a connection to. We all use electric energy that is brought to us through copper wires, we all use devices that run on those metals, and we all live in buildings that are heated by the use of copper wires. This series provides an insight into the extraction of natural resources and their consequences on nature. Places we know exist but hardly know what they may look like.