Elements of energy: Mining for a green future

The world's clean energy future relies on ancient elements still in the ground.

On Point's special series 'Elements of energy: Mining for a green future,' explores the environmental and human cost of mining for those elements — and asks what it would take for the U.S. to meet the Biden administration's green energy goals.

Episode 1. The lithium boom: What's holding back a lithium rush in the U.S.? The U.S. sits on some of the largest lithium reserves in the world. It’s a key element for clean energy. The start of On Point’s weeklong exploration “Elements of Energy” takes us inside America’s push for a lithium boom. Debuts March 11.

Episode 2. The copper trade off: Protecting today's lands versus preserving tomorrow's climate Copper is key to our green energy future, but copper extraction is deeply harmful to the environment now. Episode two of On Point’s special series “Elements of Energy” explores how to resolve that contradiction. Debuts March 12.

Episode 3. The human cost of cobalt: Modern slavery in the Democratic Republic of Congo Most of the world’s cobalt is extracted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But to get it, hundreds of thousands of Congolese people labor with no other means to survive. On episode three of On Point’s special series — cobalt and the human cost of mining. Debuts March 13.

Episode 4. The promise of nickel: Power and prosperity in Indonesia To electrify our economy, the world needs more nickel. And Indonesia has it. Can nickel pave the road to prosperity? In the next part of “Elements of Energy”: How the rush for metals is shaking up global geopolitics. Debuts March 14.

Episode 5. The goal: Can the U.S. actually meet its ambitious climate targets? The United States has set ambitious goals to transition to clean energy. But given the political, environmental, and human challenges, can the U.S. do it? We’ll explore that in the conclusion of our special series “Elements of Energy.” Debuts March 15.

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Meghna Chakrabarti is the award-winning host and editor of On Point. Based in Boston, she is on the air Monday through Friday.

The Alliance for Women in Media has honored On Point with three Gracie Awards. In 2023 'An invisible epidemic,' a program about survivors of domestic violence, won in the Investigative Feature category, while 'Behind the decades-long fight to close the boyfriend loophole' won in the Public Affairs category.

In 2022, On Point's episode "A Look Back at 1992 Los Angeles And America Since Rodney King" won a national Gracie Award for Best News Documentary. The Alliance for Women in Media also gave Meghna an honorable mention for best nationally syndicated non-commercial correspondent/host.

On Point's episode on Los Angeles since Rodney King also won a 2022 regional Edward R. Murrow award for best news documentary. In 2021, On Point won a National Edward R. Murrow award for best news documentary for "What the President Knew." The show examined presidential decision-making before 9/11 and the COVID pandemic. In 2023, On Point's series Smarter health was given a first-place award by the Association of Health Care Journalists.

Chakrabarti is the former host of Radio Boston, WBUR’s acclaimed weekday local show. She's the former host of Modern Love: The Podcast, a collaboration of WBUR and The New York Times (2016-2020) and was the primary fill-in host for Here & Now, NPR and WBUR's midday show. She reported on New England transportation and energy issues for WBUR’s news department.