Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee
Anyway as to batteries, I wonder about all the mining and collection of the minerals required to make these things. I wonder about the environmental impact of making batteries and if it’ll be any better really. Maybe less carbon emissions, but perhaps not less environmental impact. The countries that generate these minerals don’t have great track records either. I believe that cobalt, for example, is a huge problem what with something like ~80% of the worlds cobalt coming from blood-diamond-like conditions in west Africa. Required in all of these batteries…..
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Currently a lot of the cobalt we get is used in oil refining, making of super alloys, etc. Most cobalt currently is used in consumer electronics too. Only a small fraction is mined by hand in the Congo and it is no longer sourced from these "artisinal mines" (though I'm sure it still goes on to some degree and finds it's way into the supply). Most battery manufacturers are starting to use low or zero cobalt materials for their batteries anyways.
As for mining the rest of the needed materials, there's bound to be some environmental impact, and that should be front of mind. Don't forget though, that the existential current problem is GHG emissions and we need to find ways to eliminate those.