The Cost of the New Oil
The environmental impact of lithium mining goes hand in hand with EV adoption!
What powers our world today? Some may say fossil fuels, others may stick to nuclear, while many would hope its renewables. I would bet it’s lithium. Granted lithium is not a primary source of energy, so in a way my answer is wrong. But, think of how much of it we use via our lithium-ion batteries to power our world. From the smartphones and smartwatches that we are so fond of to laptops and tablets that power our work. And then there are the electric vehicles (EV) that will power our future.
EV is the new buzzword and with good reason. The sales of these vehicles are increasing. Now VW, one of the world’s largest car manufacturers is following in Tesla’s footsteps — launching their ID.4 EV. Given vehicular pollution contributes a large chunk to carbon emissions leading to climate change, it makes sense to move to EV. The EV tech eliminates the emissions from vehicles.
Of course, there is still electricity production that needs to move to clean energy sources. EV sales have grown rapidly in recent years. Future projections suggest EVs surpassing gas vehicles as early as 2030. As a result, Tesla, the company that revolutionized EV, is now one of the most valuable car manufacturers. At the heart of this revolution is a soft…
