Electric cars are a widespread means of reducing CO2 emissions from the transport sector. The shift to electric vehicles to reduce emissions through the electrification of mobility requires the production of batteries. The production of these batteries requires a number of critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt. The extraction of these materials is associated with several negative impacts, including mineral depletion, water pollution and social impacts. The latter include child labour and poor working conditions in mining areas, often located in the Global South. Furthermore, the use of these batteries creates additional environmental problems at the end of their life, as they contain toxic waste that cannot be properly recycled. This leads to an accumulation of toxic waste that could potentially end up in the environment and contribute to the pollution of ecosystems.
Lithium and cobalt mining and waste treatment
Electric cars are a widespread means of reducing CO2 emissions from the transport sector. The shift to electric vehicles to reduce emissions through the electrification of mobility requires the production of batteries. The production of these batteries requires a number of critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt. The extraction of these materials is associated with several negative impacts, including mineral depletion, water pollution and social impacts. The latter include child labour and poor working conditions in mining areas, often located in the Global South. Furthermore, the use of these batteries creates additional environmental problems at the end of their life, as they contain toxic waste that cannot be properly recycled. This leads to an accumulation of toxic waste that could potentially end up in the environment and contribute to the pollution of ecosystems.
Salar de Olaraz-Cauchari
- Climate & Atmosphere
- Transport Emission Reduction
- Electrification of Transport
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Lithium and cobalt mining and waste treatment
In Salar de Olaroz-Cauchari, Argentina, a lithium mining project launched in 2010 is threatening the availability of drinking water for local communities. Due to the evaporite method of lithium production in brines in the region, there is evidence of a decrease in the drinking water available to local communities threatened by the severe drought in the area, not only for their direct consumption of water, but also for the entire ecosystem that supports their livelihoods (the soil, the animals they eat and trade, the salt they extract and sell, etc.).
- Facilitated the efforts to address the initial problem; Frustrated the efforts to address the initial problem; The problem-shift had no effect on the efforts to address the initial problem
- Cascading (far-reaching effects following each other); Multilple (effects disconected from each other)
Gullo E., Bravo E.F. (2020, May 20). Oro blanco: la violenta disputa por el agua en Argentina. https://dialogochino.net/es/actividades-extractivas-es/35354-litio-la-violenta-disputa-por-el-agua-argentina/
Environmental Justice Atlas. (2021). Lithium exploitation in the Salar de Oroz-Cauchari, Argentina. https://ejatlas.org/conflict/mineria-de-litio-en-el-salar-de-olaroz-cauchari-argentina/?translate=en
Martins, L. S., Guimarães, L. F., Junior, A. B. B., Tenório, J. A. S., & Espinosa, D. C. R. (2021). Electric car battery: An overview on global demand, recycling and future approaches towards sustainability. Journal of environmental management, 295, 113091. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113091
Shu, X., Guo, Y., Yang, W., Wei, K., & Zhu, G. (2021). Life-cycle assessment of the environmental impact of the batteries used in pure electric passenger cars. Energy Reports, 7, 2302-2315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2021.04.038
Castelvecchi, D. (2021). Electric cars and batteries: how will the world produce enough?. Nature, 596(7872), 336-339. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02222-1
Burgess, I. (2023, January 10). Decarbonising the Transport Sector Through Efficient Public Transport Systems. Earth.Org. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://earth.org/save-the-world-with-public-transportation-and-not-electric-cars/
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