Christopher Bao ’27
Undeclared
Mining for the Climate
As the climate crisis worsens, green energy is increasingly seen as the path to a better future. However, producing “clean” infrastructure requires significant mining of minerals like lithium. This process can negatively affect local communities but is frequently portrayed as a necessary sacrifice for the greater good. I researched questions that challenge this dominant discourse around the United States’ energy transition, focusing on Thacker Pass, Nevada. My project investigated how extraction impacts those closest to mines and explored what is threatened when a mine is built and how we can imagine environmental futures that instead protect cultural heritage and ecological diversity. Over nine days of fieldwork, I contributed to discussions with over a dozen researchers, conservationists and tribal members, and gained experience with interviewing, audio recording and photography. This collaborative research experience culminated in a draft of the second season of an audio series exploring mining narratives, building upon last year’s research in North Carolina. I wrote two of the four episodes and identifyied key quotes and themes to highlight. This internship has inspired me to continue studying environmental humanities and journalism, and enabled me to develop a deeper appreciation of the complexities of addressing the climate crisis.
2024
Environment, Society and Urban Sustainability
Blue Lab, Effron Center for the Study of America, Princeton University - Princeton, New Jersey; Reno and Thacker Pass, Nevada
Allison Carruth, Professor of American Studies and the High Meadows Environmental Institute; Jessica Ng, Postdoctoral Research Associate, High Meadows Environmental Institute; Nate Otjen, Postdoctoral Research Associate, High Meadows Environmental Institute