Mineral resources are omnipresent in our daily lives
Since the dawn of mankind, humans have been drawing on the riches below the Earth's surface. Today, with the "ecological" transition, we have never consumed as many mineral resources: metals, sand, cement, rocks, oil, gas, coal, etc. Indeed, although the general public is often unaware of the fact, natural resources are used in every sector of modern-day society. Kaolin in paper; copper, cobalt and lithium for electric mobility; rare earth metals, coltan or gold in mobile phones and tablets; silicon, gallium and indium in solar panels, etc. These are just a few examples that the geologist Nicolas Charles will talk about during his lecture, which will also address the many challenges posed by the current energy transition.
A meeting with Nicolas Charles
Nicolas Charles has a PhD in geology and works as a project manager at BRGM. He is involved in numerous geological-mapping and mineral-resource projects in France and abroad. Since 2016, he has been coordinating a European geoscience training project in Africa, aimed at strengthening partnerships between European and African geological survey organisations. Nicolas Charles has written several scientific outreach publications on the geological heritage of France, and regularly gives lectures on geology and mineral resources in order to share his knowledge with the general public.
