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University of Michigan researchers examined how an Idaho community is facing the challenges and opportunities of a proposed cobalt mine. 

The study, led by then-U-M undergraduate Chava Makman, alongside Brandon Marc Finn, an assistant research scientist at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), finds that communities understand that there are no easy answers about when and where to mine, so they sought to understand the ongoing debate over mining and decarbonization.

“We found through our interviews that, generally, respondents did not view mining as clearly good or bad,” Makman said. “There are trade-offs, no matter what, and answering questions about whether to mine an area or not will never be a black-and-white decision.

“As energy initiatives increase, no single country should be relied on to satisfy the complete demand of these minerals. So here’s this question of, ‘Could U.S. domestic mining diversify these supply chains, even if it could never, with our limited reserves, fully satisfy that demand?'”

Finn says decarbonization is an inherently moral and political issue.

“It is our job as researchers to consider the trade-offs and think through who stands to be most heavily impacted by mining, and why this is the case,” he said.

Read the full press release on the Michigan News website.

Study: Digging deeper: Assessing the trade-offs of domestic cobalt mining in the United States of America (DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2025.105729)