Oh, we're just going to ignore this inconvenient truth because the pollution and toxic lakes are somewhere in china and Mongolia. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20150402-the-worst-place-...
But yes, EV lovers will not admit their biases. The only way to save the environment is by REDUCING.
Localized or not, we live in a globalized world and it's a fact that lithium ion battery production is dangerous and dirty work on par with the petroleum that it is trying to eliminate. EV fanatics don't like hearing this, but it is true.
I caught an interview on NPR recently[1] with the author of "Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives"
[1]: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/01/1152893...
The scale of mining required to produce a lithium-ion battery and the solar panels to charge it is far lower than required to produce and refine the petroleum used over the lifetime of a vehicle.
The other little secret about mining is that nasty as it is, the impact of non-petroleum mining on the environment is miniscule compared to farming, which is far more damaging but has much better PR.
2. You forgot to mention that more than 50% of lithium comes from Australia: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/chart-countries-produ...
You're going to need to ramp up the otherwise dirty and disgusting production of LiOn to meet demand. LiOn production is as dirty if not worse than petroleum distillation and drilling.
2. See point 1
Also, China will eventually improve their environmental regulations, just like every developing economy before them.
Oh, we're just going to ignore this inconvenient truth.
Oh, we're just going to ignore this inconvenient truth.
But please, let's keep lying by omission.
Oh, we're just going to ignore this inconvenient truth.