They Call It "Green Colonialism"

While scientists experiment with using more ubiquitous automotive EV components for the massive requirements currently existing and growing exponentially, virtually all of the next-gen super-batteries rely heavily on lithium. As we move from the current spate of Li-ion batteries – which contain a liquid electrolyte typically made from organic solvents and extremely flammable (particularly risky in an accident) – into the world less volatile solid state batteries, the demand for lithium is only going to soar. The existing technology currently works with electrolyte-driven 300 watt-hours per kilogram (wh/kg) batteries, but the next-gen solid state batteries, smaller and more efficient, can achieve 500-600 wh/kg… with a vastly reduced risk of flammability.

The components of the next-gen batteries still are driven by rare earths and minerals that result in major environmental damage. “Start with cathodes, the most expensive component in a Li-ion battery. In theory, solid-state batteries are fairly agnostic about which type to use. The two most common varieties of cathodes are so-called nmcs, which contain coatings of lithium along with various ratios of nickel, manganese and cobalt; and [less efficient] lfps, made from a blend of lithium iron phosphate. By avoiding the use of expensive nickel and cobalt, lfps are gaining in popularity.” The Economist, August 23rd. Cobalt, often mined in places like the Congo where labor is cheap and occupational risks are largely ignored, can tear massive holes in the land. Lithium carries its own environmental consequences.

We start with the reality that, until recent discoveries in California (the drying-up Salton Sea near the Mexican border) and Nevada, we had little choice but to import lithium from countries with severe political risks (like China) or vast distances away (like Chile and Australia). But our “green revolution,” purging the use of fossil fuels to provide electrical power, relies heavily on our ability to store energy, either because of weather and nighttime darkness or for use in mobile vehicles. In California, the dust kicked up by pervasive mining is a health hazard for locals. In Nevada’s Thacker Pass, the land has deep spiritual and historical worth to local Native American tribes.

Writing for BBC News (October 7th), James Clayton & Ben Derico, explain: “Sentinel Rock is nicknamed Nipple Rock by some locals because of its unusual formation. Every year a group called The People of the Red Mountain come here to remember their ancestors - who they say were murdered at Thacker Pass… The Shoshone-Bannock and Paiute tribes believe this area is on the site of an atrocity in 1865… ‘The US Cavalry chased the people into this area right here where the mine is being dug up at the moment. And they were massacred by the US Calvary,’ says Ka'ila Farrell-Smith, a member of The People of the Red Mountain… ‘It's a tragedy, it should be a historical site… unfortunately, the corporations didn't hear that,’ she says…

“In March, the diggers moved into [that] stunningly beautiful area called Thacker Pass, 4,000ft (1,219m) above sea level. It was formed by an ancient volcano and has sagebrush valleys ringed by desolate mountain tops… After years of legal battles, Lithium Americas [the relevant corporation] had finally won its bid to mine the area.” BBC. Most mining also tears massive gashes into the environment, as we dig, extract and transport the vital minerals from the land. Some areas are also particularly unique and beautiful, so the battle lines are being drawn accordingly. Liberal constituencies are often torn between the desperate need for lithium to effect a green revolution, where efficient batteries are an essential ingredient under current technologies, and respect for cultural heritage and environmental responsibility.

“‘Mining operations are in fact very damaging to the environment. And we've got to be very careful how we permit these things,’ says John Hadder, director of Great Basin Resource Watch… ‘We can reduce demand for minerals by just changing habits. One thing I'm really concerned about is that we're losing an opportunity to do other things to address climate change,’ he says.

“The mine has created fractures within Mr Hadder's group… [Glen] Miller resigned from its board last year after coming out in support of the mine… ‘I just think that climate change is so important, and lithium is so important for electrifying the transportation industry,’ he says… Mr Miller is a former academic at the University of Nevada. Some of his research has been partly funded by Lithium Americas, but he denies that has anything to do with his stance on the mine… ‘[Some] environmentalists will say we should drive less, we should not use anything that requires us to pull these metals up. Nobody's going to do that,’ he says.” BBC.

Just as the Biden administration had to deal with the United Autoworkers strike, where jobs will be lost as we transition to less complex power trains for electric vehicles (no fuel pumps or transmissions required), while supporting union demands, domestic self-sufficiency in lithium puts Democrats on both sides of the lithium extraction industry. So far, the federal government which owns the land, is siding with the commercial interests. Local tribes object, noting “that although the land is owned by the Bureau of Land Management, the tribes say it has been stolen from local people and that local members should get to decide how it is used… Lithium Americas argues there is no evidence the massacre happened on the site - and has won in court.

“[Tim Crowley, vice-president of government affairs at Lithium Americas] points out that some local native Americans are already working on the mine and support the project - something Ka'ila accepts too… This is an incredibly remote area - well-paid jobs are a rare thing… But the history of colonialism for people like Ka'ila is still raw.” BBC. We are going to face internal “values” inconsistencies even among those in favor of a very necessary effort to contain climate change. What is the deciding factor in these controversial realities? So far, it seems that accessing essential ingredients for green solutions does seem to have a thumb on the scale.

I’m Peter Dekom, and the “green revolution” will create schisms among those seeking to contain global warming and those with differing environmental and historical concerns… and we just better get used to that conundrum, since there are seldom easy answers.