Copper and the dark side of the energy transition | DW Documentary

The transition to green energy is crucial for the future health of the planet. But it requires vast amounts of copper. The growth in electric cars and renewable technologies in particular demand high volumes of the metal - which is often mined in South America, at a huge cost to the environment. One of the most important raw materials for key technologies in the energy transition is copper. For years now, the metal’s price has been rising steadily, and has now reached unprecedented levels. Copper mines and copper production is a billion-dollar business. But what’s the impact on the climate? Hamburg-based Aurubis is Europe’s largest copper producer. The company made more than 530 million Euros in pre-tax earnings in 2022. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, this was the best result in the company’s history. A global workforce of some 7,000 produce more than 1.2 million tons of copper. Aurubis derives the copper concentrates for its smelting furnaces from a range of countries. Chile is one of the bi