The Natural Resources Podcast
All you need to know about natural resources. Join us as we unwrap the world of mining, energy, forests and oceans. Always inquisitive, always insightful. From the producers of the acclaimed Highgrade interview series, available at www.highgrade.media
Episodes
27 episodes
Namibia's blueprint for green industrialisation
Green hydrogen can play a crucial role in the clean energy transition. Namibia has competitive advantage in green hydrogen production, and it is determined to build on it to drive a broader industrialisation process. In this episode, we...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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38:08
Heike Henn | Episode 5: Regulating for responsibility
Welcome to Highgrade and this podcast series on the responsible sourcing of minerals. Over the last four episodes, we have looked at the main production steps in the supply chain of cobalt - a metal necessary for high-performing batteries, and ...
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22:32
Johannes Danz | Episode 4: On the road to responsible supply chains
Welcome to Highgrade and this podcast series on the responsible sourcing of minerals. Starting at mine site, we have followed cobalt through the supply chain. Today, we'll look into the making of automobiles at a time in which the indus...
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17:21
Gillian Davidson | Episode 3: Material concerns about batteries
Our ability to store electricity is central to the ongoing energy transition – and cobalt is a critical input into efficient batteries. But cobalt is a metal tainted by a reputation of human and environmental harm.Can battery producers ...
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23:57
James Nicholson | Episode 2: Commodity trading in the spotlight
Our second episode in this podcast series on responsible sourcing puts the spotlight on commodity traders – the invisible hand moving natural resources around the world.Traders connect production from artisanal miners in DRC with global...
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28:23
Mickaël Daudin | Episode 1: Artisanal miners - heroes or villains?
Are the products we consume responsible for human and environmental degradation? To answer this question, this podcast series takes us on a journey through the supply chain of cobalt, a commodity that is critical to the global energy tran...
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26:22
Energy Markets in Turmoil? | Paul Stevens
In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Oil prices surged overnight – reaching their highest level since 2008. Was this short-term stress or a structural shift? How will current events reshape the global energy agenda? To help u...
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24:20
The World for Sale | Jack Farchy
The Financial Times called it one of the best books of 2021. The World for Sale is an eye-opening dive into one of the most secretive and powerful business sectors in the world: commodity trading.Commodity traders pull the invi...
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24:27
COP26: All You Need to Know | Tom Burke
Following dense weeks packed with global climate talks in Glasgow, Highgrade brings to you an executive summary of the climate change crisis; a digest of the discussions and all you need to know about COP26.To do this, we have called up...
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31:44
Chile at a Critical Point | Diego Hernández Cabrera
Chile has often been praised as an example of how to use natural resources to foster economic growth. The industry is now at a crossroad - and Chilean society has made it clear that it expects to see more tangible benefits from it. Will it succ...
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25:14
The New Energy Geopolitics | Morgan Bazilian
For nearly a century, fossil fuels have been a key source of geopolitical tension. How is international politics changing with the surge in renewables? Join us in this fascinating conversation with Morgan Bazilian, Professor...
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35:07
The Shape of Things to Come | Highgrade Editorial
Nobody knows what the future holds, but this may be the closest you’ll get - for the extractives industry anyway.Join the Highgrade Editorial team in conversation as we discuss five key trends that will define the industry in the years ...
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23:40
Leadership Matters | Rohitesh Dhawan
In 2001, the world's largest mining corporations created the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) to improve the industry sustainability credentials. 20 years on, the Council sees change on the horizon and in response it ha...
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32:08
Measure to Manage | Hélène De Villiers-Piaget
You can't manage what you can't measure. Strange as it may sound, until recently, there has been no serious attempt to compare mining company performance across environmental, social and governance dimensions.Enter the Responsible Minin...
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28:27
Turning the Tide on Plastic | Denise Hardesty
Do you want to leave a lasting mark on the world? Throw a plastic bottle into the sea – and chances are that it will still be there well after you are gone.In this podcast, we discuss our global plastic addiction and what we can do abou...
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22:10
The Development Puzzle | Veronica Nyhan Jones
If you are interested in the field of natural resources and economic development, then you surely know Veronica Nyhan Jones. Currently at the IFC Sustainable Infrastructure Advisory, she has been central to the implementation of World Bank Grou...
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28:35
Profits or Ethics | John Howchin
Are there unethical companies, or economic sectors altogether? Is the ethical choice down to the producer or the consumer? In this episode, we tackle the thorny issue of morality in investment decisions.We discuss with John ...
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26:05
El Triángulo del Litio | Florencia Heredia
La edad de piedra le daba el bronce. La Edad del Hierro. La manera en la que usamos minerales ha ido de la mano con el desarrollo humano. Hoy la humanidad contempla un futuro más allá de los combustibles fósiles y así crece la demanda por nuevo...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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24:33
Coal Under Fire | Anne-Claire Howard
For centuries the undisputed energy king, coal has made possible the great advancements of the industrial age. But coal is now tarnished with a dirty reputation, and both investors and consumers have started to avoid it. We met An...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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25:33
The Forest for the Trees | Dan Nepstad
Images of Australia, Brazil and California literally burning triggered global sorrow. And suddenly, we remembered the trees. The fires are now raging again and so we ask, what is happening to the forest?Daniel Nepstad, founder and direc...
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30:30
The LION Programme: Progress Through Procurement | Nils Handler
Not a mineral producing nation per se, Germany is a fundamental player in international cooperation in the extractives sector. Consolidating this position, the German Federal Institute for Geoscience and Natural Resources (BGR) has launch...
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18:06
Like a Rolling Stone | Kevin Fox
We are drawn to the organic world perhaps because we see in it our own fleeting reflection. And yet, there is something magical about the enduring rock: a silent witness not just of evolution, but the origin of the universe itself.
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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27:29
The Future of Resource Taxation | Alexandra Readhead
In most cases, the ultimate owner of underground resources is the State. Governments grant companies the privilege to exploit these resources. And for that privilege, companies pay - in the form of taxes. It is not the only thing that countries...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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27:34
Benefits to the Fore | Tony Addison
If it’s not grown, it must be mined. Our societies rely heavily on the supply of metals and minerals. From copper to aluminium; from plastic to cement; mining is all around us. Yet, mining is not loved - to say the least. Are the ex...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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30:33
Fishy Business | Rashid Sumaila
Our seas are under pressure. Overfishing, acidity, pollution are decimating fish stocks. We all feel it is bad - but how bad is it really?In this episode of The Natural Resources Podcast we talk to Rashid Sumaila, one of the world’s lea...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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28:27