ICN Sunday Morning: Mining the Metal of the Future

ICN Sunday Morning: Mining the Metal of the Future

Go behind the scenes with senior editor Michael Kodas, ICN reporter Wyatt Myskow and Columbia Journalism Investigations reporter Johanna Hansel as they discuss the complicated push to build up lithium mining in the United States. Today, just one lithium mine operates in the U.S. By 2030, at least six new projects are expected on American soil, with 13 more close behind, mostly in the dry Southwest. That’s only a sliver of what’s coming. Companies have already staked claims for more than 100 lithium mines, according to a new database from Columbia Journalism Investigations and Inside Climate News. This surge underscores how quickly the U.S. is emerging as a major player in the global lithium market, a metal central to electric vehicle batteries. The Biden administration promoted the boom as a way to bolster U.S. energy independence, and under the banner of “Drill, Baby, Drill,” President Donald Trump has accelerated it—while the costs mount. Socially and economically vulnerable communities, especially Indigenous tribes, are absorbing many of the impacts. Wyatt and Johanna, whose reporting alongside CJI’s Carla Samon Ros has produced a new series on U.S. lithium mining, break down the rush to build these projects, what it means for local communities and fragile ecosystems, and what can be done now to improve the path forward.

ICN Sunday Morning: $370 Million Payout

Go behind the scenes with senior editor Corey Mitchell, reporter Phil McKenna, and data journalist Peter Aldhous as they discuss a new Senate probe over lucrative and questionable tax credits to the country’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas. Liquefied natural gas vessels are fueled by their cargo—they’re built specifically to make use of the gas boiling off from their tanks. But Cheniere Energy, the largest U.S. exporter of LNG, requested “alternative fuel” tax credits for that. The claim baffled shipping experts, because what Cheniere Energy is doing isn’t, in any real sense, an alternative. It also provides little climate benefit over fueling the vessels with diesel and uses the credit in a way that tax specialists say was never intended. Yet the Internal Revenue Service approved a $370 million payout to the company, a huge windfall that Phil and Peter predicted in an exclusive investigation earlier this year. Now, a group of seven Senate Democrats have launched a probe over the controversial tax credits and financial boon to Cheniere Energy. Phil and Peter explain the debate over the tax credits, the complicated calculations they used to estimate Cheniere’s payout, and how this case fits into their larger investigation into the hidden climate costs of exporting liquefied natural gas.

ICN Sunday Morning: As El Niño Approaches, Scientists Predict Fierce Heatwaves, Wildfires and Floods

Go behind the scenes with senior editor Corey Mitchell and reporter Bob Berwyn as they break down what to expect from the looming El Niño. Scientists said this week that a developing El Niño is likely to amplify heatwaves, droughts and floods this year. But it’s not the biggest culprit of climate extremes. The consequences of a moderate or strong El Niño today are more damaging than those of similar events just a few decades ago because of the long-term warming caused by burning fossil fuels. Bob, who covers climate science and international climate policy for ICN, explains what El Niño is and how it changes weather around the world, whether we’re now entering a period when record-breaking weather becomes normal, and if the impacts of El Niño this year could be permanent.

Inside Climate Talks: Special Interview with Ed Yong

ICN executive editor Vernon Loeb speaks with Ed Yong, Pulitzer-winning science journalist and author of An Immense World, about the extraordinary sensory worlds of animals. Visit our website: https://insideclimatenews.org/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqblI2WklVNk9tUGNWaEZDS0VlVjlQNXFwZmJXUXxBQ3Jtc0trZzBReElueFdxdnUzdlIxWlBnNmxabkFmRWtySFI2Nl9ldHYtNXVnQ2x1dHcweFI0Q21tbE5uUDB1LUc5MzM2QVgzODVUQmVhaUdBRlR6MTNnZXUzWkRDejh6clhOZ0xXQVIwRU5FbU1udnhoVDctbw&q=https%3A%2F%2Finsideclimatenews.org%2F&v=xkQthGR3Oi8] Support our nonprofit newsroom: https://insideclimatenews.org/donate [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa1FRMWl0dXB4eC1EcTFPejFlQkhGTlNlUTVpd3xBQ3Jtc0tuNmRndF9qWlg5U2ItZUVTbUplVTlYUldXSjFLV2MxUzBDT1RmdGV0SXlCaTgwZGU4Q1c2N21SQmxSNGVoRUJEa2lwRlZqWmtzUXgtN2RhWHVvUm91d2Z2c1hBdFExN25xLUhTSllLX1NZdlNhSllSQQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Finsideclimatenews.org%2Fdonate&v=xkQthGR3Oi8]

Inside Climate Talks: Special Interview with Author Hillary Rosner

Animals roam the Earth to mate, to hunt, to spread seeds and to participate in myriad processes that help sustain life. But what happens when their migration routes are impeded? Science journalist Hillary Rosner examines this question in her book Roam: Wild Animals and the Race to Repair Our Fractured World, and shares her insights in today’s interview with senior editor Michael Kodas. Visit our website: https://insideclimatenews.org/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbnJKcTVfS1NndzZVRnN4ZER6N19sdWlxdEJ6d3xBQ3Jtc0ttbW13QzI0UVEyWDBhdXdSRnlmUVdPUTVlRWpJb1k5c1NRT09nN0xEVFNwTGVfcDFiMWdPMnpKbzVzTEE0OUF6c2RVeG42RGFYZHpPalFmM0tTOU9CVG1LRkhzNVpKZEtwbVVwalRjbjladkxmcjJXbw&q=https%3A%2F%2Finsideclimatenews.org%2F&v=r0XcZiq2RZc] Support our nonprofit newsroom: https://insideclimatenews.org/donate [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbEpvMmRabkhVNjlCSTN6VFMwd1hhd3htbEZvUXxBQ3Jtc0trLXVhVVhEM2dXYjVxUUhRYjFQWmNWTlprc3hPOU5PNnFFQk1FR0dhR09XTGV0OXA5WVBpRmJEMHFyR3VrYk94NU1KSUllSlc3LURVdDJHd1VPNmxSU294TUh5TThDMjNZVnFfZUU4R3hRcERYNkdFcw&q=https%3A%2F%2Finsideclimatenews.org%2Fdonate&v=r0XcZiq2RZc]