Material World by Ed Conway

Critical minerals, such as lithium, copper, cobalt, graphite, nickel, manganese, and rare earth elements, are indispensable to the low-carbon energy transition, driving a global surge in demand that shows no signs of abating. Paradoxically, the foundation of clean energy lies in the mining industry. While the raw value of these minerals is significant, their true impact emerges through refinement and integration into high-value technologies, fueling markets worth billions. Electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines, and solar photovoltaics demand significantly higher quantities of minerals and rare earth elements compared to their conventional counterparts. 

However, the extraction processes alone generate billions of tons of CO2 emissions, comparable in some instances, such as lithium mining, to the carbon footprint of coal mining. Virtually every industrial process produces carbon, or at the very least is very energy intensive, which makes attaining net zero such a challenge. 

If there is one book that I would recommend in order to understand the intricacies of the modern world it would be Material World by Ed Conway, in which he explains the scale of the environmental problem and the irony of new demand created by efforts to wean ourselves off oil on to batteries. In 2019 more materials were extracted than in the years to 1950 combined and this is the story of the modern world (and a bit of our history and some glimpses into the future) told through the eyes of the materials we couldn't do without. 

Conway traces the history of humanity and also its potential future through the remarkable stories of six essential substances, which built our world and will transform our future: 

Sand, the world's most mined commodity, at around 50 billion tonnes per year, the foundation of the modern world, the silicon substrate from which we make glass, concrete and ultra pure single crystals of silicon for our computers.

Salt, the chemical without which life couldn’t exist. An enormously underrated material which still provides the backbone for much of the chemical, agricultural and pharmaceutical world today.

Iron, the skeleton of the built world, from which we make steel.

Copper, from which the electrical networks of the world are made. It is hard to overemphasise how much copper matters, especially given we are steaming towards a green energy transition which will depend largely on intensive electrification.

Oil (and gas) - even in today’s world, we still depend enormously, massively, on oil and gas. The world is still mostly propelled by oil. Oil products are in our batteries, in our plastics, in pretty much every consumer product.

Lithium, the element without which nearly all of the world’s most advanced batteries would not work. 

According to the author, these are the six most crucial substances in human history. They took us from the Dark Ages to the present day. They power our computers and phones, build our homes and offices, and create life-saving medicines. But most of us take them completely for granted. As we wrestle with climate change, energy crises and the threat of new global conflict, Conway shows why these substances matter more than ever before, and how the hidden battle to control them will shape our geopolitical future. 

In the course of three years’ research Ed Conway travelled the globe - from the sweltering depths of the deepest mine in Europe, to spotless silicon chip factories in Taiwan, to the eerie green pools where lithium originates - to uncover a secret world we rarely see. Revealing the true marvel of these substances, he follows the mind-boggling journeys, miraculous processes and little-known companies that turn the raw materials we all need into products of astonishing complexity.

The book combines history, technology, analysis and vibrant description of the virtuosity of the materials geniuses that have laid the foundations for the world we live in. It also reminds the reader constantly of the interconnectedness of everything, how different commodities and manufactures combine to create the objects that make modern life what it is. The striking thing about the world we live in today is just how far and wide we range across the periodic table. The earliest circuit boards contained 11 elements, those in modern smartphones contain more than 60.

Humans have become extraordinarily good at turning seemingly simple substances into products of amazing intricacy and effectiveness, such as silicon chips containing billions of transistors. each smaller than a virus and literally invisible, and this is why Ed Conway’s Material World is such an important and fascinating read.