Electric cars
thousands of cells have been connected across 16 modules in series and parallel. 14 This set of cells in combination with the induction motor is how an EV works, and being powered by lithium-ion batteries produces zero carbon emissions, while running. Lithium, despite contributing to only 6% of the battery as a whole, 15 is the key to the battery due to its high electrochemical potential: an atom ’ s eagerness to lose electrons. 16 The lithium-ion battery is tried and tested and used in almost all rechargeable batteries, but the mining of this ‘white oil’ is proving detrimental to the South American landscape. Over 75% of the lithium is located between tree countries in South America: Chile, Bolivia and Argentina, and these three countries form the ‘lithium triangle’. 17 Around 18% of the world’s lithium is then found in Austr alia. 18 This piece of land is already one of the driest places on Earth and is being made increasingly worse by the mining of lithium. Salar de Atacama is the largest salt flat in Chile and has been the most affected losing 65% of its water to mining activities. 19 In this area and throughout the lithium triangle, the metal is collected through brine, an aqueous solution of salt where the water is evaporated to lithium carbonate. It could be argued that the location of the majority of the lithium mining is in arid, desolate areas but, according to Chilean Biologist, Cristina Dorador, Atacama’s salt flats are the nesting and breeding sites of rare breeds of flamingos along with the high Andean wetlands being home to some of South America’s most threatened bird species. 20 In spite of the fact that lithium mining is proving damaging to the environment, according to the World Bank forecast, mining must increase by almost 500% by 2050 to provide batteries and other components to power clean energy technologies. 21 But is this short-term environmental harm worth the potential future benefit? Two of the major mining companies based in the Atacama, SQM and Albemarle, have denied statistics such as the 2000 litres of saltwater being extracted every second are affecting the freshwater levels. Although Dorador opposes this saying the Chilean government are ‘ lacking scientific data of exactly what the impacts of mining are ’ , but also said that ‘ the water is evaporating all the time. Even without mining it will only last another 100 to 200 years. ’ 22 You could argue that, if this is the case, then what harm will be done if the salt flat were to dry up sooner? Cobalt, another key component in the manufacture of these powerful Tesla batteries is mined most notably in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This metal’s mining doesn’t only come with environmental issues but ethical issues as well . Over 70% of the world’s cobalt is found and produced in the DRC, with 15% to 30% of this produced by artisanal and small-scale mining groups (ASM). 23 It is in these ASMs that numerous workers have been stripped of the basic requirement of clean water and human rights groups have reported serious issues and major child labour violations, with children as young as age 4 working 12-hour shifts in the extreme Congo climate for the equivalent of as little as 8
14 Donut Media 2018. 15 Donut Media 2020.
16 Lesics 2019. 17 Palmer 2021. 18 Ibid. 19 The Institute for Energy Research 2020. 20 See Palmer 2021; Bird Life 2021. 21 Palmer 2021. 22 Ibid. 23 Campbell 2020.
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