President Joe Biden's green energy plan relies heavily on domestic lithium production, since 2021 will see the largest rollout of solar, wind, and electric batteries in American history.
While the frantic rush to abandon fossil fuels has caused a significant amount of pollution, lithium mining has quietly been revealed as a source of pollution.
A $3.3 billion investment was announced on May 2 by the Biden administration to make more lithium batteries and their components. As part of the president's goal of making half of all American vehicle sales electric by 2030, this is a pivotal step.
Mines are generally dirty businesses. Among the minerals extracted under this umbrella are lithium and coal, fossil fuels. Carbon emissions from the mining industry range from 1.9 to 5.1 gigatons a year.
The other approach to accessing lithium involves removing the metal from brine in areas with salt flats. However, this approach requires, on average, 500,000 gallons of water to procure a single ton of lithium.
19 August 2022
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