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Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch
This leads to the question for me, lets say that we replace regular cars with electrical cars, this likely leads to a new environmental problem not only witht he hideousness of rare earth mining and the limited supplies of this, but also the disposal of batteries.
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This is a frustrating topic because there is so much disinformation out there. This is what people think a lithium mine looks like.
This isn't. This is an open pit copper mine in China. Arizona is also pock marked with these as well. This is a common mining method for various ores close to the surface of the earth. Not all mining relies on open pits, and this includes lithium production from spodumene, petalite, and lepidolite. This is actually what the most common lithium mine looks like today.
Settling ponds are the most destructive part of the extraction process and those can be cleaned up and remediated very easily. The thing here is that lithium extraction is no more polluting than any number of mining processes.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/li...ine-oil-sands/
Lithium production is actually very different than a lot of people think. Brine extraction is the preferred method now and is much cheaper and has the environmental impact is extremely low. Lithium can even be extracted from ocean water through a similar process. The destructive nature of lithium mining is over-blown in many regards. Lithium extraction is no more polluting than any number of mining processes, and using it as a crutch is silly. The claim is meant to sway the argument and distract from the fact that the issue is managing sequestration points for greenhouse emitting sources of pollution.
https://www.thebalance.com/lithium-production-2340123
If we can remove the greatest offending sources of pollution we can make a massive dent in the problem and buy us time. If we can remove most of the coal fired plants, eliminate oil burning heaters in homes, and then focus on removing the big polluters from the roadways, we can meet our goals and begin our transition. Nuclear and solar can kill off coal. Wind and solar can kill off the home heating challenge. Increased CAFE standards and taxation can force the dirty engines off the road. Continued incentives for EVs can drive even more off the road and convert completely away from internal combustion engines except for industrial and commercial uses. These strategies help us remove the largest number of carbon emitting sources as quickly as possible. It is doable, we just need people to adjust their expectations, which is why taxation and incentives are needed.