Europe currently imports between 60-100% of the metals that are essential for modern society. The rare earth elements have received great publicity but the dependence extends to almost all metals. Some metals come from stable regions that respect social and environmental norms; others come from war-torn countries and regions more prone to corruption .

A case can be made for domestic metal production, similar to that advocated by the locavore (local food consumption) movement which proposes looking closer to home for our food. An opposite position is represented by the BANANA movement (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anybody) which argues that the environment impact of mining outweighs the benefits. These are the issues to be discussed by a panel of experts in the field.

Probable speakers:
Lluis Fontboté, Univ Geneva, supply and demand for future mineral resources
Alina Stadnitskaia, on marine mining
Joshua Brien Economic & Legal Section, Commonwealth Secretariat, London
Gillian Davidson, World Economic Forum, Geneva "Mining in a Sustainable World"
Roland Oberhänsli - Univ Potsdam, "Resourcing Future Generations" IUGS project

Moderator: Jonathan Tirone, Bloomberg News

A determined attempt was made to find a speaker from a movement opposed to mining but none agreed to take part.