“Environmental damage” isn’t something that’s reducible to a single number on a graph. There’s no way to convert cancer incidents into carbon emissions or increased soil nutrient mobility, etc.

And reserves aren’t necessarily a fixed number. What exists underground isn’t the same as what’s economically recoverable. And as the price of a mineral goes up, it may become more economically recoverable and worthwhile to dig up more.

LiDAR is essentially radar that uses light instead of sound

Radar doesn’t use sound. It sounds like the author doesn’t know the difference between sonar and radar.