Mining Scarce resources - are Green EVs really green ?
At a recent presentation to a New Zealand audience, Dr Euan McTurk, Plug Life Consulting Ltd asked the question about Lithium – will we pillage the planet and run out ?
Only, if we reach a rather “ambititous” amount of a few Trillion Leafs, as his illustration clearly showed..
"Blood Batteries" replacing "Blood Diamonds"?
Amnesty International reported years ago that young Children were working in appaling conditions in the Congo to mine the Cobalt that is used in EVs, smartphones and laptops. Cobalt also plays a vital role in catalysing the removal of sulphur from Oil.
Whilst this remains an issue today, there are initiatives under way to provide support projects to extricate many Congolese children from artisanal cobalt mines and to train thousands of their young parents to become farmers.
A report, published by the African Development Bank on 26 January 2024, emphasised that 9,016 children (46.2 per cent of whom are girls) have been taken out of the mines and 3,235 young people (of an initial target of 6,250) have been retrained in the agriculture sector. The project has also brought 2,425 boys and 2,044 girls back to school so far, to provide them with a better education.
Adverse reporting of the issue has also caused action as this illustration on “Ethical Cobalt” shows (thanks again to Dr Euan McTurk, Plug Life Consulting Ltd )
Euan adds much more information on Lithium and Cobalt in this informative Episode of “Watt Barriers” ..
