LISTEN: Researcher admits electric vehicles have hidden ‘concerning’ environmental costs
Heather Hamilton
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Electric vehicles’ batteries “require lots of different mined materials,” which are causing “concerning” environmental impacts, according to one researcher.
Providence College political science professor Thea Riofrancos admitted to NPR that the electric vehicle industry’s focus on lithium mining has particularly “concerning effects.”
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“We see impacts on water systems where there’s water use by lithium mining or contamination of water,” Riofrancos said. “We see impacts on biodiversity. We also see concerning social impacts such as Indigenous peoples in Latin America that haven’t been fully consulted before these large-scale mining projects were built and started to affect their territory as well as culturally sensitive sites.”
Riofrancos, lead author of the “Achieving zero emissions with more mobility and less mining” report, estimated that by 2050, the EV market in the United States alone would require a tripling of lithium’s global production.
“And that means a lot more individual lithium mines, each of them carrying their own impacts in environmental and social terms,” Riofrancos added.
Riofrancos suggested that expanding alternative types of transportation, including buses, light rails, cycling, and walking, be considered. Additionally, Riofrancos said greater emphasis must be placed on recycling.
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“If we can increase recycling of batteries and recover those materials, we can see 92% less lithium required in our best case scenario,” Riofrancos said. “There’s a lot to be gained by taking this moment of addressing the climate crisis to think more holistically about the design of our transportation sector and have the goal of maximum mobility for all and the goal of also addressing the harms of mining before they get to even more concerning levels.”