We have found over the years: Many Attorneys>Politicians>Governments’ Leaders are ‘way over their heads’ when it comes to the subjects of ‘Mining’ and ‘Manufacturing’, while they are very adept at ‘Marketing’. It behooves them to endorse easily saleable concepts such as: ‘Green Energy’ or ‘Zero Carbon’, or ‘Non-Polluting’, or most laughable perhaps ‘Free Energy’! That is why many become Politicians and evolve into ‘Career Politicians’ [what other line of work can they perform competently?]
We, in International Business, have a operational adage regarding the many flamboyant ‘Project Front-Men’ we have met or have seen in the past, and today’s current iterations of the same ilk: “Delusions of grandeur are based on illusions of adequacy”. These “Prophets of Profit” never use their own funds for projects but instead seek out the sheep to invest. Some of the more opportunistic sorts implore foreign corporations to provide funds, since the ‘entrepreneurs’ are so “Connected to the ‘BIG GUY‘” [great success is surely theirs to be].
We can certainly witness, for example, the Rare Earths and Strategic Metals quest currently going on with the Americans. The Selected President, who has probably never seen a mine adit any closer than the ‘big screen’ in a old cowboy movie, is gratuitously endorsing mining operations in several Western States. There are few Presidents in the entire world, like Mr. Macky Sall of Senegal, a Geophysicist by education and career.
Cultural violations are very possible if one only considers ‘mammon’ and not the communities contiguous to mining projects. Analogous to this is the tragedy, a couple of years ago, that befell the aborigines in Australia; both State and Federal Government approved beforehand ‘okays’ for detonations. PERMANENT DESTRUCTION of the cultural artifacts became the reality. Unfortunately, we are of the opinion that the mining corporation took a bigger ‘image hit’ than did the Australian government ‘managers’.
As we have written many times: “There is NO free lunch!”. To drive ‘non-polluting’ electric vehicles is made possible by the: Pollution of the raw materials mined and processed for vehicular and ‘E.V.’batteries production; Pollution in mining and manufacturing electrical transmission lines to proper sites; and Pollution in creating the power-gain devices of windmills, solar ‘cities’, geo-thermal recovery plants, et al. How many countries’ Leaders had the forethought to become “Giants” in ore processing [such as ‘Rare Earths’] as did the Leaders in Beijing?
It is our hope for 2022 and beyond that the Puppet Masters’ Masters, their Acolytes and Minions consider that a possible ‘Fiasco-In-The-Making’ is under the guise of “Clean Air/Earth Atmosphere Temperature Control/Economic Prosperities Re-Located”. The Sheep may gullibly follow the Pied-Pipers off the cliff; or may ‘Wise-Up’. If they realize the effects of Cosmic and Solar radiation, Volcanism, De-Forestation, et al have, they might take exception to the “Electric Vehicle ‘Global Salvation'”and “NAT [Not Always There] Energy sources for what they are: Small Gains at Great Costs. We think that the important thing to remember is: “Altruism for one’s fellow man” is a nice utterance performed by ‘Wheeler-Dealers’ on their way to meet their bankers.
Reality: Selling ‘Grand Concepts’, be they of Commerce or of War, historically are peddled, not by Saints, but by Hawks.