All language subtitles for Tomorrows.World.Today.S07E01.1080p.WEB.h264-FREQUENCY_track3_[eng]

NARRATOR:
On Tomorrow's World Today ,

we explore
the cutting-edge advances

that are shaping
four different worlds.

The world of inspiration,
where the wonders of

the natural world
amaze and inspire us.

The world of creation,
where ideas come to life

from traditional arts.

The world of innovation,
where ideas and inventions

move us all forward.

The world of production,
where innovations are

mass-produced
to improve our lives.

From Inventionland
World Headquarters,

here's your host,
George Davison.

Hi, everybody, I'm George
Davison, and today we're gonna

talk about copper.

You see, copper isn't just
a metal, it's also a conduit

for progress, a conductor
of connectivity, as well,

and a symbol of resilience.

You see, from the early days
of this country, copper

helped forge
our economic independence.

And as
our nation evolved, so did

the importance of copper.

It powered telegraph lines,
which really helped our nation

to communicate as it grew.

It also
fueled the electrification of

our cities, like Pittsburgh,
and propelled us into

the more modern age.

Today, copper's still
an unsung hero that's

quietly fueling our
technological advancements.

It's used in smartphones,
renewable energy systems,

and even drives the electric
vehicles that are paving

the way to
a more sustainable tomorrow.

You see,
copper mining isn't just about

extracting a metal,

it's about extracting progress.

And it's exciting to see
the steps that these mining

companies have taken
to make sure that

it's done responsibly
and sustainably.

So I'm going to send
our field reporter, Greg,

to Green Valley, Arizona, to
visit the world of production,

where he's gonna explore
how one company is sustainably

mining copper while
safeguarding our environment

for tomorrow's world.

GREG: Copper holds
an unparalleled importance

in the United States.

It is virtually the lifeblood
of our technological age,

bringing power to
our electric grid

and communication networks.

It's crucial
for manufacturing,

construction, and renewable
energy technologies.

That's why we're here at
Freeport-McMoRan in Arizona to

explore copper's rich history
and look at its future and why

it's going to continue
to be a vital part

of tomorrow's world.

-GREG: Hey Josh.
-Hey Greg, how are you?

-Great, nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.

Well Josh, let's talk
a little bit about

the history of copper.

It's got such a rich history
in the United States.

Tell me, what are some of
the key things that you think

have happened along the way in
the development of copper

and the way we use it?

Copper was initially used by
the indigenous peoples as

tools, adornments, and then as
the West was developed,

it became trade material.
-Let's think about that.

What are some of the regions
in the United States that have

been more important in
the development of

copper than others?

So as the country
developed and moved westward,

the copper industry
moved west.

The original epicenter of
copper mining was in

the Lakes Region,
and then as the continued

movement westward happened,
it's really progressed

towards the southwest today.

GREG: Let's talk a little
bit about Freeport-McMoRan.

How long has the company been
around, and how do you feel that

that progression has helped
the company move along?

JOSH:
Freeport has a history

very similar
to the United States

in that a sister company was
first established in the 1830s

as a mercantile that sold
goods that were made of copper,

and then over time, as
the country developed, they got

into the mining industry
and really consolidated a lot

of the regions and became
what we are today.

GREG: All right, well let's talk
a little bit about the uses of

copper and how that's
developed, because

that's changed dramatically.

The use of copper has
really kind of followed as

society has developed.

So from using it as tools,
using it as utensils,

kitchenware, and then a key
element in electrification of

the country as electricity was
developed, copper was really

critical in enabling
that to happen.

That kind of points to
the idea that copper sort of

took us from the cave all
the way into outer space.

And as we look ahead at what's
happening in the world now

with, like, AI and advanced
technologies and things like

that, how has Freeport-McMoRan
kept up with that?

It's been an interesting
dynamic, as the world develops,

we're always looking for ways
to take advantage of that

and look
for more opportunities.

If you think about electric
vehicles, if you think

about the decarbonization
and the renewable energy space,

that requires more copper than
what was historically needed

in the electric grid
or in just wiring of houses.

And so we're really focused
on how do we continue to

maintain our current operations
and then grow them

via incremental opportunities
or leveraging data,

analytics, and AI to help us.
-Has that presented challenges?

Skilled trades
are a challenge for us.

There's not enough skilled
tradesmen in the country.

And so we're really very
focused on how can we develop

skilled trades going forward?

Has that been something that
you've been able to integrate

into your work with

the communities
around the mines?

We spend a lot of time
working with the communities,

whether that be local
Native American tribes

or the local towns,

and really looking for ways
that we can work together

to foster a win-win
to really to be able

to sustain our operations.

If we don't do that well,
we're not doing our job well.

On top of that, we work
with community college,

technicals, trade schools
to really try and foster

and facilitate more people
to go into that

part of education.

Okay great, well I'm gonna
learn all about that over

the next day or so,
so thank you very much.

I'm gonna head down into
the pit and meet up with Steve

and find out more down there.
-Sounds good.

GREG: Copper mining
has undergone

a remarkable evolution.

From pickaxes to precision
technology, we've witnessed

a transformation
in extraction methods.

It's an industry that
now prioritizes sustainability

and uses
advanced techniques that

minimize environmental impact.

I'm at the Sierrita Mine in
Green Valley, Arizona,

to explore this topic.

-Hey, Steve.
-Hey, Greg.

-Nice to meet you.
-Very nice to meet you.

Steve, the mining industry,
like most industries, has gone

through some really huge
technological advances over

the last 50 years.

What are some of the things
that might not be obvious to

a layperson like myself that
we might be surprised to find

out about
in the mining industry?

Well, Greg, I think
the average person might think

of a miner as having
a headlamp on, pickaxe over

his shoulder,
and a mule trailing behind.

But what we have
here today is vastly different.

You can see on the scale,
the scale of the pit here,

the scale of
the equipment,

the haulage trucks,
our processing equipment.

It's just vastly different.

In addition to that,
what would surprise people,

I think,
is the amount of data,

technology, AI, that we utilize
to make sure that

our operation is the most
efficient it possibly can be.

GREG: Has that also enhanced
the safety of the industry?

Because typically,
most folks think of mining as

being pretty dangerous,
but it's really not

like that anymore.
-No, it really isn't.

So, I mean, there's inherent
safety challenges in a mine

with all the high energy,
the moving equipment

that we have,
you know, chemical, electrical,

but we work very hard
in employing technology,

employing safety systems
like fatal risk management to

identify those potential risks
and then work to mitigate it.

We use big data to help us
identify where that needs

to take place.

And then we work with all of
our employees, and we talk

safety at the beginning of
every shift in terms of what

do we need to do
to remain safe?

But they also have
the obligation to stop work if

they see something that
they don't understand

or they see as unsafe.

GREG: Well, do you think that
that's had a detrimental

impact on efficiency?
-STEVE: No, not at all.

In fact, the safe operation
is an efficient operation.

They really go hand in hand.

So again, use of data, AI to
really understand our systems

and make sure
that we do things in

a very responsible manner.

GREG: Let's talk a little bit
about the copper itself.

We're all pretty familiar with
the idea of copper being in

the plumbing in
our homes and in the wiring,

but what are some of the other
uses, things that we would

come into
contact with every day

that we might not
be aware of?

Copper has a vast
array of different attributes,

of course, electrical
conductivity being one.

So that's why it's used in
wires, not only in

our houses, but in motors
and transformers,

in electric vehicles.

But it's also
corrosion resistant,

it's malleable,
it's aesthetic.

So it gets used in
a wide variety of applications.

But another one
that people don't think

about is it's antimicrobial.

In other words,
viruses and bacteria cannot

live very long on copper
surfaces like they could on

a stainless steel or wood
or other touch surfaces.

So it really makes it an ideal
material for things like

hospital rooms, ICU rooms,
schools, buses, places where

a lot of people are touching
where you really want to

prevent
the transmission of disease.

The other one
that's relatively new,

it's still wiring,
but it's a new application,

is for the cloud.

A lot of people don't think
about the cloud as being

wired, but the cloud is really
made up of all these massive

data centers that process
all that information,

and there's a massive amount
of wiring that goes

into those facilities.
-That's excellent.

Steve, this has been great.

I'm gonna head up and meet
up with Andrea,

and she's gonna show me
some of the finished product.

Well,
thank you very much.

Andrea, it's pretty
obvious that copper is a really

integral part
of our everyday lives.

I mean, there isn't anything
in your house that has

an on-off switch that
doesn't have copper in it.

But In spite of that fact,
people still want to know that

that copper is
being sourced responsibly.

So tell me
about Freeport-McMoRan's

efforts towards sustainability.

Our entire sustainability
strategy is really based

around this idea that we can't
produce two times as much

copper and have
two times the impact.

We don't have two times
the water, we don't have

two times the energy.

So really, when we look at
this energy transition

and this opportunity as
a company, it also has to be

an opportunity for us to
do things differently.

And we really
refer to that as

accelerating
the future responsibly.

For us, it just makes
good business sense that

the more efficient you become,
the safer you become,

and the better neighbor you are
in your host communities,

the longer of a future
we have as a company.

GREG: Right, well, I mean,
let's look at the three phases

of mining,
which would be

exploration, extraction,
and processing.

What are you doing along
each of those phases to

reduce your impact?

Well, firstly,
our environmental commitment

is ultimately to ensure that
we meet rules and regulations.

But we do so much
work beyond that.

We spend a lot of time working
on various different topics.

Biodiversity is a great
example, ensuring and working

really hard to enable species
that interact with our land to

not be impacted.

We also work continuously to
try to reduce the amount of

pollution that we generate.

We are always working on
trying to figure out how

we store the waste that's left
at the end of mining in a safe

way in tailings impoundments.

And then, of course,
just making sure that water

doesn't leave our site
once it hits our site.

Those are really
the ultimate things that we do.

And when we look at the whole
cycle that you just presented,

right, from exploration
through extraction to end of

life, it's really looking
for any way in which

we might negatively impact
the environment and putting

plans in place to try to
reduce those impacts.

GREG: By combining eco-friendly
technologies and responsible

practices,
the copper mining industry can

reduce environmental
impact, conserve resources,

and support local communities.

We're exploring
how copper mining is forging

a path towards a greener,
more sustainable tomorrow.

Tell me a little bit more
about the social side of this.

Without social responsibility,
we lose our social license

to operate, right?

So working with our host
communities on skills for

the future, for after the mine
closes, really working

on healthcare, education,
many different things within

the community is crucial,
but then

we also work on
the social side

of sustainability
inside the company.

Whether it's simple things,
like having women's-specific

PPE, as you can see here,
a women's specific fit vest,

all the way through
to really training our staff

and our operators

on how do you create
an inclusive environment,

being open to each other from
the very beginning of when

people come into the company,
setting that tone from

the start so that
they understand that this is

a place where we're not only
safe and we go home safe

every day,
but we're also inclusive of

each other and our differences.

Tell me about
the Copper Mark certification.

The Copper Mark is
the first copper-specific

sustainability program globally.

Really what it does is
it certifies that a site that

produces copper or refines
it is producing it within

the requirements of
32 issue areas.

Those issue areas
can be anything from

preventing pollution, like
we were talking about before,

operating within the laws,

preserving
and encouraging

diversity, equity,
and inclusion, etc.

So all of those things
together then get audited

or assured by a third party
that comes on site, and they're

looking for not only are
we meeting those things,

but are we looking for ways to
continually improve in them.

What's the end result
that you're looking for?

What's the end goal?

Ultimately, what
we're looking for is that when

you buy an electric vehicle,
Greg, you feel like what is in

that vehicle has
been produced responsibly.

The minerals and metals were
produced in a sustainable way,

and really,
that's ultimately the end

promise of the Copper Mark.

Great, well,
thank you very much.

Thank you, Greg.

GREG: I also spoke with
Ondrea Barber about

Freeport-McMoRan's
commitment to the preservation

and utilization of local
native plants, as well as

how they are developing
relationships with

local tribal communities.

So Ondrea, I know that
Freeport-McMoRan is very

committed to the harvesting
of local native plants.

Tell me about that.

What plants are
you actually working with?

For about the past five years,
the company has been working

very closely with
the Tohono O'odham Nation

and the San Xavier District,

which is located
about 15 miles north of where

we're at today.

The district has been coming
out, harvesting local plant

species from
mesquite, ocotillo, agaves,

wild tobacco, various forms
of cactus to utilize within

the community,
and all of these are

culturally important species.
-That's excellent.

Now you mentioned that you work
with the local tribal community.

Tell me what
that process is like.

So typically, the tribe will
request a date to come out

and do a harvest to harvest
whatever materials are

important for
the district at that time.

The site will facilitate that
process, and the district will

take those plants or other
materials back to the district

to use them there for
food, cooking, medicine,

or whatever might be
happening within the district

at that time.

Okay, well, what is
Freeport-McMoRan's end

goal with this?

What is the final result
that you're looking for?

Ultimately, the company wants
to respect the cultural

heritage of the nation,
of the district,

and local tribal communities,
and build long-term trusting

relationships
with our tribal partners.

Well, I really
appreciate this, Ondrea.

I'm gonna go meet
with Tracy now.

We're gonna
talk more about

Freeport-McMoRan's
sustainable practices.

GREG: I'm at Freeport-McMoRan,
where I'm speaking

with Tracy Bame
about social responsibility,

local opportunities,
and mining sustainability.

Tracy, Ondrea was telling
me about Freeport-McMoRan's

excellent work with
the local tribal community.

Tell me more about your
company's commitment

to social responsibility.

Sure, and that's really
a great example of how we work

with all of the communities
where we operate,

really engaging with them,
having dialogue with them

about their own interests,

their needs, their priorities,
their concerns, their questions.

And so we do that both related
to our business activities,

when we're trying to make
decisions about an expansion

or a project
we're trying to implement.

We talk to communities,
and we try to understand what

the social impacts of
our work might have so

we can mitigate that.

And we can take that feedback
into consideration and make

the best decisions possible
from a social perspective,

you know,
that will create opportunity

rather than impact.

And we also spend a lot of
time having dialogue with

communities
around their, you know,

social
and economic priorities.

You know, what do
they want for their future?

How do we create a sustainable
future in partnership with

them going forward?

So that's an interesting
subject, because beyond

the social and cultural impact
that an industry might have

when a mine or some other
large industry moves into

an area, there could be
a huge economic boom.

And when that industry leaves,
it can have a really negative

impact on the local economy.

What is Freeport-McMoRan
doing to offset that?

That's such a great question,
and we spend a lot of time

thinking about that and a lot
of time engaging with

communities about that.

So really helping them
to understand that mining

is a finite resource,
and what we're trying to do

over the course of
the whole mine life is to work

on building resilience.

So it's things like investing
in education and skills that

people can use in
a post-mining environment that

help them
be economically successful.

It's things like,
you know,

economic diversification in
local communities,

so small business development
and training.

Okay, well give me
an example of

a program that's working well.

We've got a lot
of great initiatives.

One that I'll highlight is
a program called

Dream Builder,
which is a women's

entrepreneurship
training program.

And the program exists in
both Spanish and English.

We've reached over
150,000 women, teaching them

the skills they need to start
or grow a small business.

So we want to reduce
dependency on just that mining

economy and really help women
and men participate fully in,

you know, the economic
success of an area.

Now the mining industry is so
diverse that the kinds of jobs

that are associated with
mining and other technological

industries has diversified so
much that there might be a lot

of people who traditionally
would look at a mine and say,

"I don't want to work
in that industry."

But it's not -- that perception
is completely erroneous now.

We sometimes joke that we're
a technology company that

happens to do mining, because
it's so high tech these days,

and we need so many people
with those kinds of technology

skills, computer
science and so on.

But we also have jobs,
you know, in

the environmental
and social space.

We have
the traditional jobs like

geologists
and mining engineers.

We really try to emphasize
how much mining has changed

and what an exciting
industry it is these days.

Excellent, Tracy,
thank you very much.

Thank you.

-Hey, Greg.
-Hey, George.

Well, I hope
your trip's going great.

I would love to hear more
about this technology rolling

around that copper industry.
-Oh, it's going great.

Already, we've learned so much
about the history of copper

itself, how it has
paralleled human development,

and then how
it's paralleled development

in the United States,

the copper boom
and what it did for us as far

as technology goes.

It's really taken us from
the cave all the way

into outer space,
and now the mining industry

itself is changing in really
innovative and important ways.

I'm quite sure that the guys
who had the pickaxes

and the lamps on their heads
could not have foreseen what

the mining industry
looks like today.

Now there's big data, AI,
so many technological

innovations and jobs that are
available within the industry

that we couldn't even imagine.

Well, you know, Greg,
there's probably gonna be

a lot more jobs, because
the technology that we're

seeing and that we're helping
to develop here at

Inventionland, I think that
demand for copper's gonna be

going up, up, and up.

So whatever other information
and technology you can bring

back would be very helpful.

Well, in our next episode,
we're gonna learn more about

how the mining industry itself
has changed

and how it's incorporating
new technologies into it.

And I'm quite sure,
as you mentioned,

with the technology boom
that we're looking at right now,

there are gonna be uses for
copper 30 years from now that

we can't even imagine today.

Well, we love
learning about the future.

-Have a good trip.
-Thanks, George.

Bye now.

GEORGE: And remember, tomorrow's
world is where inspiration

and creation
drive innovation and production.

See you next time.