RE:Could Human Ingenuity Dampen Oroco's Long-Term Value?"A recent article I just read and linked below makes the argument that humans have been using knowhow and ingenuity to use less and less resources over time, even as populations grow."
Rigth now the popular thinking is to use less of resources such as oil. This is why you mentioned electric vehicles. Copper is the solution to that. After the majority of the cars are electric, then maybe people will say, "We need to find something to replace copper." This will be years after Santo Tomas is sold and producing.
"More conservation would dampen demand for copper, potentially leading to lower prices for longer (kind of like interest rates)."
I think you have people in countries like China, India, etc that have been behind for so many years. Now they are getting taste for better lives. This requires electrification = copper. Read up on what is happening in India, its population, and how it will impact copper. Analysts are focusing very much on copper demand from China. Nobody is even talking about India.
So I think we are going to be ok betting on copper for many years.