The Impact of Lithium Ion Batteries

How the environment and society are effected by an increased demand for batteries

Figure 1: Tesla Model 3 Battery Pack

Lithium Ion battery packs are commonly found in current electric cars and devices such as laptops and smart phones. Popular electric cars such as the Tesla Model 3 and others contain these battery packs. As a result of increased demand for products containing these batteries, there has been an increase in production and disposal of the materials involved. Lithium Ion batteries contain several metals including cobalt, nickel, and lithium: all of which pose various environmental threats. Additionally, the usage of Cobalt is particularly concerning because illicit Cobalt mines employ child labor. This has been particularly apparent in the Democratic Republic of Congo which has been exploited for Cobalt mining.

Children mining Cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Cobalt demand has increased in recent years as a result of technological advances.

60% of all Cobalt mined globally comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Washington Post) Cobalt is mined in the DRC by larger official mining corporations and artisianal miners who lack proper training, safety equipment and tools. These laborers work in hazardous conditions for little pay, often earning the equivalent of only a few dollars a day. In the DRC, demand for Cobalt is so high and so critical to the economy that although the government is aware of problems involving mining, they say they are too weak to combat them.

Concern regarding Cobalt production is not a recent phenomenon. US trade groups and advocacy organizations have been critical of Cobalt mining practices particularly in the Congo for almost a decade. The US Labor Department has Cobalt mined in Congo listed as a product they believe involve child labor.

The Lualaba Province is a major Cobalt mining hotspot

However, due to the economic power of Cobalt mining, many fear that exploitative processes will remain a part of Cobalt production for years to come.

A map outlining the journey of Cobalt from extraction to consumption.

Environmental Concerns

Increased demand for Cobalt and other minerals such as Lithium and Nickel has also impacted the environment in multiple ways. It is important to realize the connection between a product being marketed as green or environmentally conscious and the actual impact of that product on the environment. In the case of electric cars, they are marketed as a green alternative to gasoline powered cars which emit Carbon Dioxide and other green house gases. However, in reality the processes required to produce an electric car are much like those required to produce a traditional gasoline powered car. Mining for Cobalt, Lithium, and Nickel creates acid mine drainage which can toxify clean water sources and lead to soil degradation.

The production of Lithium Ion batteries requires vast water usage which is problematic considering much of the mining operations occur in dry regions that already struggle with water supplies.

Fossil fuels are also heavily utilized in mining practices, even in highly regulated operations. Heavy machinery, cargo vessels, and transports of raw materials are all connected in a supply chain that is highly energy intensive.

CBS News finds children mining cobalt in Democratic Republic of Congo

Consumerism and Cobalt: Is this the future?

It is clear that electric vehicles are the future of transportation, at least for now, but will that be sustainable for even the near future given the implications of required mining processes? It seems that despite the green marketing of electric vehicles and consumer's open-mindedness to environmentalism, the true impact of their purchases are not fully realized. Cobalt mining is not sustainable as it currently functions and the negative impacts on both society and the environment are likely to become more apparent as demand continues to increase. Greater production and purchasing of electric cars and trucks which utilize Lithium Ion batteries will continue to harm the planet so long as buyers are not conscious and corporations allowed to exploit child labor and other illicit tactics of acquiring the materials required to produce batteries.

Figure 1: Tesla Model 3 Battery Pack

Cobalt demand has increased in recent years as a result of technological advances.

The Lualaba Province is a major Cobalt mining hotspot

A map outlining the journey of Cobalt from extraction to consumption.