There's some debate over the materials and mining requirements for the green energy transition. The requirements for copper alone for electric vehicle and truck motors and for wind turbine generators are daunting. The debate is about the magnitude of mining expansion that will be required. On one side of the debate are those who feel it will be very large. On the other side are those who feel it will be impossibly so.
In view of the consensus that it will at least be very large, it is puzzling to those who follow the industry how little indication there is that mining companies are preparing to expand production at all. This CNBC report offers a possible explanation: the companies are having difficulty finding enough workers to even maintain current production levels.