Mining has a poor public image. It is often associated with environmental degradation, human rights violations and the unacceptable excesses of capitalism. But might it also be the key to ensuring a more sustainable future?

Leading industry expert Timothy Biggs argues that modern life is simply unthinkable without mining on a huge scale. From the mobile phone in your pocket to the building you're standing in, the minerals and metals extracted by the mining industry make modern life possible. This fact will become more significant in the context of the environmental challenges we face. Tackling climate change will require technologies ranging from electric cars to solar panels, all of which require immense - and increasing - amounts of copper, iron ore, lithium and other metals. This makes it vital that states and societies respond constructively to the practical needs of the mining industry, and that mining companies address the very real problems associated with their operations.

Anyone who wants to understand the stark realities of how our economies will have to change in the context of contemporary environmental problems cannot afford to miss this brilliantly clear account from someone who understands this most vital - and misunderstood - of industries from the inside.