| Summary: | A report on nodules, rocks that contain essential minerals to build supercomputers, cell phones, and electric cars. Nodules form when shells or rocks on the ocean floor absorb metals from seawater. The minerals contained have an estimated net worth of $16 trillion. The process for collecting nodules is referred to as "harvesting" as opposed to "mining" as no robots, drilling, or digging will be used. The United States is not among the many countries preparing to harvest these minerals due to a failure to ratify a U.N. deep sea mining treaty. Those in favor of the U.S. ratifying the treaty say the country will end up reliant on China, which has the most comprehensive harvesting strategy, as these minerals become increasingly essential. Includes interviews with Gerard Barron, CEO of Deepgreen Metals; Warwick Miller, a geologist; Kris Van Nijen, managing director of Global Sea Mineral Resources; Dr. Craig Smith, an oceanographer at the University of Hawaii; and Jonathan White, a retired rear admiral who runs a non-profit to protect oceans.
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