Reading the Earth: Mining, critical minerals, rare earth supply chains, and global impacts
February 19, 2026
This interview with journalist Christopher Pollon explores modern mining, critical minerals, rare earth supply chains, and clean energy impacts
Reading the Earth is a podcast series that seeks to unravel the complexities of Earth’s systems and what we do to protect it in a developing environment. The podcast host is Dr. Peter Thibodeau, a consulting hydrogeologist with a passion for learning and talking about the Earth and its built environment. In each episode, he speaks with prominent authors of earth science and mining work, water resource scientists, industry leaders, and researchers on a broad range of topics.
In this episode, journalist and author Christopher Pollon discusses the themes behind his book Pitfall. In it, he offers a critical yet nuanced examination of modern mining. Pollon draws on personal history and years of investigative reporting to explore the environmental, social, and geopolitical effects of extracting the minerals needed for clean energy and global development.
The conversation spans critical minerals, rare earth supply chains, and the growing tensions between sustainability, national security, and industrial demand. Pollon highlights the hidden costs of mining—from tailings dam failures and sacrifice zones in the Global South to impacts on the environment from mineral processing—while challenging beliefs about what society truly needs to mine.
He also points to underexplored solutions. These include:
- Urban mining
- Recycling
- Rethinking value extraction
He urges a more responsible and transparent approach to resource development.
Listen to podcast:
Reading the Earth on Amazon Music
