Scarce and expensive raw materials for smartphones, wind turbines & co.
Adult education centre: Lecture on 25 January, from 7 to 8.30 pm, TIETZ, Neue Sächsische Galerie
On Wednesday, 25 January, from 7 to 8.30 p.m., the Chemnitz Adult Education Centre is hosting an event on the topic of "Scarce and expensive raw materials for smartphones, wind turbines and the like - what's in store for us?". Interested parties can learn from speaker Jakob Kullik about the enormous economic and political importance of certain metals and rare earths in our high-tech society.
Participation is free of charge. Registration is possible by telephone on 0371 488 4343 or online.
State-of-the-art electronics and energy technology are finding their way into all areas of life. This increases the demand for metals and rare earths. Whether TVs, smartphones, electric motors, wind turbines or medical devices - they are components everywhere. A modern mobile phone alone contains over 30 different metals such as copper, gold, cobalt, neodymium and cerium. The latter are rare earth elements that the European Union has categorised as "critical raw materials". Although only very small quantities of these materials are usually required, they are extremely important. However, their extraction is extremely resource-intensive, harmful to the environment and characterised by violent and politically sensitive conflicts. The mining areas are located in various emerging countries in Africa, South America and Asia - but China has a dangerous trade monopoly. In 2021, for example, a microchip crisis paralysed the global automotive crisis because China was unable to supply enough silicon.
In the lecture on 25 January, speaker Jakob Kullik from Chemnitz University of Technology will provide an overview of the political, economic and ecological background behind the mining, trade and production of metals and rare earths. He will also present approaches to solving existing problems. After the lecture, interested parties will have the opportunity to exchange ideas with the speaker in a Q&A session.
Jakob Kullik, M.A. is a research assistant at the Chair of International Politics at Chemnitz University of Technology. His research focuses on the commodity markets of critical high-tech metals as well as the commodity policy and supply security of Germany, the EU, Russia and China.