Original subtitles

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.