Behind every electric vehicle is at least one mine and a community that has been altered by it. Mining for the Climate peers under the hood to get to know the people and places impacted by the rush to mine critical minerals. In the process, we take a hard look at the stories told about climate change, mining and the energy transition and we consider less mining-dependent futures.
Mining for the Climate is created by Nate Otjen and Juan Manuel Rubio for Season 1 and by Nate Otjen and Jessica Ng for Season 2. It is a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University, which is co-led by Allison Carruth and Barron Bixler. Additional support at Princeton University has come from the High Meadows Environmental Institute, the Humanities Council and the Office of the Dean of Research.
Season 1 Copyright 2023 Nate Otjen, Juan Manuel Rubio and Blue Lab.
Season 2 Copyright 2025 Nate Otjen, Jessica Ng and Blue Lab. All rights reserved.
To learn more about Mining for the Climate and Blue Lab’s other original media projects and series visit: http://bluelabmedia.org/.
All content for Mining for the Climate is the property of Blue Lab and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Behind every electric vehicle is at least one mine and a community that has been altered by it. Mining for the Climate peers under the hood to get to know the people and places impacted by the rush to mine critical minerals. In the process, we take a hard look at the stories told about climate change, mining and the energy transition and we consider less mining-dependent futures.
Mining for the Climate is created by Nate Otjen and Juan Manuel Rubio for Season 1 and by Nate Otjen and Jessica Ng for Season 2. It is a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University, which is co-led by Allison Carruth and Barron Bixler. Additional support at Princeton University has come from the High Meadows Environmental Institute, the Humanities Council and the Office of the Dean of Research.
Season 1 Copyright 2023 Nate Otjen, Juan Manuel Rubio and Blue Lab.
Season 2 Copyright 2025 Nate Otjen, Jessica Ng and Blue Lab. All rights reserved.
To learn more about Mining for the Climate and Blue Lab’s other original media projects and series visit: http://bluelabmedia.org/.
The Thacker Pass Mine brings many uncertainties to the region’s Indigenous and settler ranching communities. This episode features Susan Frey, a rancher in Orovada, and Gary McKinney, a Shoshone Paiute activist who lives on the Duck Valley Reservation. Together, Gary and Susan ask what resistance and survival look like in the long term.
Mining for the Climate is a co-creation of Nate Otjen and Jessica Ng. It’s a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University.
Episode Credits:
Written by Jessica Ng and Nate Otjen
Hosted by Jessica Ng
Sound design by Gianna Imparato
Research and production team: Nate Otjen, Jessica Ng, Christopher Bao, and Jose Santacruz
Music by Pixabay (www.pixabay.com)
Audio Clip Credits:
Gary McKinney on Camp Peehee Mu’huh, Instagram, 2021
Attached Documents:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, “Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Thacker Pass Lithium Mine Project,” September 2023
Lithium Americas, “Technical Report on the Thacker Pass Project, Humboldt County, NEVADA, USA,” December 2024
Copyright 2025 Nate Otjen, Jessica Ng and Blue Lab (bluelabmedia.org). All rights reserved.
Mining for the Climate
Behind every electric vehicle is at least one mine and a community that has been altered by it. Mining for the Climate peers under the hood to get to know the people and places impacted by the rush to mine critical minerals. In the process, we take a hard look at the stories told about climate change, mining and the energy transition and we consider less mining-dependent futures.
Mining for the Climate is created by Nate Otjen and Juan Manuel Rubio for Season 1 and by Nate Otjen and Jessica Ng for Season 2. It is a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University, which is co-led by Allison Carruth and Barron Bixler. Additional support at Princeton University has come from the High Meadows Environmental Institute, the Humanities Council and the Office of the Dean of Research.
Season 1 Copyright 2023 Nate Otjen, Juan Manuel Rubio and Blue Lab.
Season 2 Copyright 2025 Nate Otjen, Jessica Ng and Blue Lab. All rights reserved.
To learn more about Mining for the Climate and Blue Lab’s other original media projects and series visit: http://bluelabmedia.org/.
