Paradise lost? The red right hand of green technology

Abstract

This article addresses issues of climate and environmental injustice through the lens of electric vehicle (EV) usage. The current market for batteries relies very heavily on Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries, as they provide ‘high efficiency and low cost’. In 2020, BloombergNEF forecast that by 2040, 58 per cent of global passenger vehicles sales would be EVs, with demand for batteries rising commensurately. Between 2010 and 2021, the average unit price for EV batteries fell from $1200 to $132 per kW/h. The article considers the environmental impacts of EVs and assesses the extent to which impacts on local communities are reflected accurately in calculations of the benefits of EV technology. It concludes that whilst the carbon emissions and impact on the climate of using EVs is significantly lower than for using petrol or diesel vehicles, the current cost of the technology simply does not reflect the disproportionate impact on the populations living near the extraction sites for the minerals needed in EV batteries.