Similarly aluminum is the most abundant mineral on Earth's surface, but aluminum is only harvested from bauxite rock formations. The highest concentration of gold on the planet is thought to reside just off the continental shelf next to California, but this is never harvested because scraping the ocean floor for trace metals is too expensive. Density and costs of extraction matter.
The primary problem is hypocrisy. Environmentalists don't want a metal harvested from their backyard, but require it be harvested elsewhere at equal environmental impact. The options are clear: be content with atmospheric carbon, trade atmospheric carbon for water polluting metal extraction, or stop using electricity.
The primary problem is hypocrisy. Environmentalists don't want a metal harvested from their backyard, but require it be harvested elsewhere at equal environmental impact. The options are clear: be content with atmospheric carbon, trade atmospheric carbon for water polluting metal extraction, or stop using electricity.