The War Below: AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4 ‘TODAY’

Lithium, copper, and the global battle to power our lives

A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR SO FAR FOR 2024
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION, AND FT BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD

The trillion-dollar battle for the resources to power our future. Oil and gas defined the twentieth century.

A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR SO FAR FOR 2024
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION, AND FT BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD

The trillion-dollar battle for the resources to power our future. Oil and gas defined the twentieth century. Now lithium, copper, cobalt, rare earths and nickel will define the twenty-first.

The world is moving towards replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy. But building electric vehicles, solar panels, and millions of other devices requires digging more mines. Critical minerals are vital to many sustainable technologies, and the competition for them is intensifying.

Nations aspiring to energy independence are ever more intertwined: a hedge fund manager's attempt to revive rare earths mining in California needs Chinese expertise, and global reliance on Africa's mining sector persists despite child labour concerns. Meanwhile, ecological dilemmas abound: a proposed lithium mine in Nevada may help car manufacturers slash their dependence on fossil fuels, but developing the mine may cause the extinction of a flower found nowhere else on the planet.

As investors attempt to predict how resource extraction's geopolitics will unfold, this is a story of industry giants, researchers, and policymakers at the forefront of the new energy wars.

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.