Aerial view of the Chuquicamata copper mine in Northern Chile. This is the largest open pit copper mine in the world by volume (at the time of sharing). At this location the copper and molybdenum is extracted from a porphyry deposit that was formed beneath a volcano in the Andean subduction zone.
Description by Martyn Unsworth, after the description on imaggeo.egu.eu.
Although much of the conversation around renewable energy resources focuses on the actual resources used to generate the energy, we cannot ignore the resources need to develop the energy collection, storage and transportation mechanisms, as well as the infrastructure needed to facilitate equal access to that energy. The need to revolutionise our global energy networks also comes with challenges to other resource extraction networks, such as for copper; a material in extremely high demand even before this point. To read more about other things we need to consider when switching to low-carbon forms of energy production, read this blog post about the next steps after COP26.
Imaggeo is the EGU’s online open access geosciences image repository. All geoscientists (and others) can submit their photographs and videos to this repository and, since it is open access, these images can be used for free by scientists for their presentations or publications, by educators and the general public, and some images can even be used freely for commercial purposes. Photographers also retain full rights of use, as Imaggeo images are licensed and distributed by the EGU under a Creative Commons licence. Submit your photos at http://imaggeo.egu.eu/upload/.
