Moving on from the climate disasters
which shook the world, leading to
billions of dollars in losses and killed
schools of people around the world . such
disasters make us realize the importance
of Shifting away from non-renewable
sources of energy ,that impact the
environment and lead to such natural
disasters.
one of the most common initiatives and
taken by major companies is to shift
from Petrol based cars and manufacture
electric cars. but what if I tell you
that ,shifting to battery-powered
Vehicles is still harming our
environment.
look at these visuals from Latin
America’s lithium triangle , the turquoise
a glimmer of open air pools contrasting
sharply with the dazzling white of Salt
Flats.
these lithium extraction fields in South
America might be breathtaking to look at,
but they represent the Dark Side of our
swiftly Electro electrifying world.
lithium represents a root out of our
Reliance on fossil fuel production ,as
one of the lightest known metals on the
planet . it is now widely used in electric
devices from mobile phones ,laptops to
cars , aircraft it’s literally everywhere.
these batteries are the key to
lightweight rechargeable power and as it
stands demand for lithium , the white gold
is unprecedented and many say it is
crucial in order to transition to
Renewables . however this does not come
without a cost mining the chemical
elements can be harmful to the
environment. lithium extraction requires
millions of liters of water per plant
per day, approximately 2.2 million liters
of water required to produce one ton of
lithium.
moreover any type of resource extraction
is harmful to the planet , that’s because
removing these raw materials can result
in soil degradation, water shortages,
biodiversity loss ,damage to the
ecosystem functions and an increase in
global warming.
but you must be wondering ,when we are
talking about extraction we should be
telling you about fossil fuels like coal
and gas. but lithium also falls under the
same umbrella despite Paving the way for
an electric future. lithium can be
described as the non-renewable mineral
that makes renewable energy possible,
often touted as the next Oil.
moreover according to a report by
friends of the earth, lithium extraction
inevitably harms the soil and causes air
contamination and as the demand Rises
the mining impacts are affecting the
communities as well ,where this harmful
extraction takes place.
the salt flats in South America where
lithium is found are located in arid
territories ,and in these places access
to water is key for the local
communities and their livelihoods as
well as the local flora and fauna.
in Chile’s Atacama salt flour Flats
mining consumes contaminates and diverts
gas Water Resources away from the local
communities.
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