By recycling metals and other materials, we can reduce the effect we have on the world’s climate.
When we mine the metals needed for our modern lifestyles, all the related activities also result in the production of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other 'Greenhouse gases' (GHGs), so called because they allow the sun to heat up the atmosphere like a greenhouse. This leads to the phenomenon of 'global warming', likely to create dramatic changes in the earth's weather in the future.
CO2 is emitted by the explosives used on a mine, by the various vehicles used to transport ore and other materials, and also by the production of electricity used in the mining and concentrating process.
We know that the recovery of metals from e-scrap requires a lot less energy, and produces much less CO2, than obtaining the same metals from ore concentrates.