Absolutely, the key answer here is recycling. We’re lagging in that area, but we need to recycle everything. Once a metal makes it into the U.S., we can’t let it leave. We can't be dumping it in landfills. The good news is that these metals—like lithium, nickel, and manganese—are infinitely recyclable. We can keep reusing them over and over, and that’s exactly what we need to do.

There are companies already working on it, like Redwood Materials, which is a battery recycling company. They’re on the right track. But the real question is: at what scale can we do this, and how disciplined are we going to be about it? If you look at all the electric cars driving around, those cars essentially act as mobile mines. This is what we call "urban mining." We should be getting those metals out of old batteries and cars, but it’s not enough to just talk about it—we need to do it. It has to be mandatory, regulated, and scaled up to make a real impact.

The infrastructure is starting to take shape with companies like Redwood Materials and Lysycle, which have facilities in the U.S. and Europe, but we need much more. We need to recycle every single battery we can and every metal—aluminum, steel, magnesium, you name it. It needs to be mandatory. We can’t just rely on an optional system and wonder why our supply chains are so dependent on countries like China.

In the U.S., we have these cute green trash cans that we sometimes use for recycling, but it’s treated almost like a luxury. It’s clearly hypercritical, but the mentality here is that it's optional. I’d argue the European mentality is a bit further ahead in this regard. The U.S., because we're wealthy and sometimes lazy, tends to have a disposable mindset.

In one of my chapters, I compare the U.S. to the Roman Empire. When the Romans needed more gold and silver, the rich elites simply sent people out to get it—there was no thought of conservation or modifying behavior to improve the situation. We still have a similar mindset today. I call it the “store shelf mentality.” I was reading about some congressional hearings from the 1970s on U.S. mineral policy, and it really struck me how we just expect to go to a store like Walmart, pick up a lithium battery, and not think about where it came from or the impact it has. The reality is, these things are much more complicated, and we need to put more thought into how we manage resources and recycling if we’re going to make progress in the green energy transition.

Balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability in critical mineral strategies is complex, but it can be done with concerted effort and innovative approaches. One promising option is direct lithium extraction (DLE), which involves extracting lithium from underground brine, a non-usable, heavily salted resource. While it’s not economically viable yet, if I were in government, I would invest heavily in DLE technology to make it work. This method eliminates the need for traditional mining, as you can extract the lithium and return the brine back underground.

Additionally, lithium is present in seawater, and with the right technology, it could be extracted without the need for physical mining. Combining these methods with large-scale recycling efforts—where we reuse and recycle everything possible—could drastically reduce the need for mining. Urban mining, where we extract valuable minerals from the products already in circulation (like old batteries), could further decrease the need to mine raw materials. However, achieving this would require strong regulation, innovation, and a shift in mindset towards sustainability.

Resource nationalism is definitely on the rise, especially in countries rich in critical minerals. For example, many African nations have long seen their raw materials mined and exported with little benefit to the local economy. But now, there's growing awareness of the value in these resources, particularly in the battery minerals sector. Countries like Morocco are taking a different approach by insisting that foreign companies set up factories, employ local workers, and pay royalties, ensuring the wealth from these resources stays within the country.

This is becoming more common across Africa as nations realize that simply exporting raw materials doesn’t benefit them in the long run. Countries like the Congo, which hold significant shares of cobalt production, have more leverage. They could demand that processing and refining occur locally, putting pressure on foreign companies to add value within their borders.

However, balancing this resource nationalism with the global agenda for a sustainable, greener future will be tricky. As these nations demand more control over their resources, the global supply chain will have to adapt. Countries with critical mineral wealth can leverage their position to shape how resources are mined, refined, and traded—while also promoting more responsible, sustainable practices. It’s a delicate balance of economic power, geopolitical strategy, and environmental sustainability.