The White Gold Rush: The Race to Mine the World’s Lithium
Electric vehicles are becoming a worldwide phenomenon; seen as a climate alternative to the status quo. In lieu of using traditional gasoline, electric vehicles operate using lithium batteries which hold high energy densities and are easy to recharge.
Lithium is used for a variety of products beyond cars as well, including lubricants, ceramics, and batteries. The demand for lithium has always been there, and is increasing with electric vehicles becoming the new norm. As such, global lithium production has increased by a whopping 334% in the past 3 years, and its global demand is expected to double by 2024.
However, the production of lithium poses severe environmental issues, particularly increased levels of pollution, and as such the concept of electric vehicles can be considered a double-edged sword.
How and where is our lithium coming from?
Currently, a handful of nations mine lithium. Chile and Australia are home to the largest reserves, and China hosts some of the biggest lithium companies in the world. The United States is also investing more in lithium mining for electric vehicles -- Thacker Pass in northwest Nevada the proposed site of the 2nd largest lithium ore mine in the world, projected to extract 60,000 tons of lithium carbonate per year.
Environmental problems from lithium production
As mentioned previously, the production of lithium does not come without its issues. The metal is usually mined from lithium ores or extracted from lithium-containing saltwater. Ore mining is an energy-intensive and destructive form of extraction, while only a handful of large corporations have the technologies available to extract lithium from saltwater on a commercial scale. Although this latter form is more environmentally friendly, it remains inaccessible to many at a broad scale, and there is also little research into its impact on freshwater tables.
Nevada's farmers and native populations are concerned about ecosystem destruction to the habitats of golden eagles and antelopes from the Thacker Pass site. These communities are also uneasy about the water pollution expected from lithium extraction -- toxic byproducts like sulfuric acid and arsenic present an immediate threat to scarce freshwater resources. The mine expects to use 3,224 gallons per minute during operating hours, causing the water table to drop by 12-feet, thus reducing the amount of water available for agriculture use. Yet pollution regulations over such operations would increase the price of lithium batteries and electric vehicles.
Lithium mining causes a slew of environmental issues, making electric vehicles not necessarily the perfect solution to the climate crisis, in spite of popular perception.
Lithium supremacy is overshadowing environmental activism
Yet, the environmental degradation associated with lithium mining is often overlooked. In Eastern Tibet, a lithium mine caused mass-destruction on the local fauna, as well as water pollution that affected local drinking-supplies. The United States, China, and the European Union are racing for lithium supremacy for economic dominance.
Communities in Nevada are already putting pressure on the Thacker Pass project, with two lawsuits that are hoping to block the mine. Activists are advocating for more climate-friendly saltwater extraction as an alternative to ore mining.
Lithium and electric vehicles: a two-fold issue
The lithium and electric vehicle debate is a two-fold issue that brings to light the complexity of true environmental change. The alternative of using regular gas cars is still met with the sustainability issue of mining lithium for electric cars, highlighting the need to think critically about solutions which will allow for the most sustainable change.
Learn about our affordable carbon footprint solutions for small and medium-sized businesses
Book a free strategy session to discuss your climate goals with a sustainability manager.
About RyeStrategy
Based in Seattle, RyeStrategy is a CDP-accredited, mission-oriented company specialized in carbon accounting, mitigation coaching, and climate disclosure solutions for organizations at any point in their sustainability journey. Learn how RyeStrategy helped Salesforce, Ideascale, and Wazoku achieve their sustainability goals.
From exhaustive carbon footprinting and mitigation coaching, to setting science-based targets and reporting climate data to CDP, SBTi or custom reporting platforms, RyeStrategy acts as a hands-on extension of the team, custom-tailoring services to fulfill climate disclosure requirements easily and accurately.
Meet with a sustainability specialist to learn more about RyeStrategy solutions.
