Re:The spiralling environmental cost of our lithium battery ...
by klyrs on Sunday January 31, 2021 @01:41PM
(#25981312)
It sounds like, at the present, we're trading (local pollution in lithium- and cobalt-rich areas and landfills) for (local pollution in oil- and gas-rich areas and logistic networks, and global pollution from exhaust). At the present, batteries are beneficial in terms of global warming; but probably a wash in terms of pollution from resource extraction. OTOH, it appears that progress is being made towards the recycling of lithium batteries. If that situation improves, the impact of resource extraction will diminish but not vanish.
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Re:The spiralling environmental cost of our lithium battery ...
by tumbleweeds on Sunday January 31, 2021 @02:57PM
(#25981987)
It's also a problem with windmill turbines. There's no end-cycle in progress so many of the decommissioned turbine blades are moved to the landfill. I bet there's something incredibly strong and lightweight materials can be used for but so far many are trash.
We used to burn wood and mine for coal, then drilled for oil, then fracking for gas, and now mining lithium. The environmental problems are still there but the consumer side sounds "greener" with each iteration. Personally, I find the idea of replacing all cars with electric cars to be backwards. Why when you can use this as a turning point to reduce dependence on personal vehicles and pursue alternatives?