As battery demand grows, mining for the raw materials to make them will be a necessity. Industrial mining has had a troubled history with humanitarian and environmental abuses. Amy Boulanger is executive director at the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance. We don't need 20 years of research and technology to get at best practice mining,. This is not nuclear fusion. That's up next.
Batteries are a critical part of the transition away from fossil fuels. From electric vehicles to grid scale storage for wind and solar, demand for batteries is expected to grow 500% by 2030. In order to meet that demand, we’re going to need a lot more batteries. And while companies like JB Straubel’s Redwood Materials are building capacity for recycling, for now that means a lot more mining. How do we build a battery supply chain that meets demand and reduces harm?
This episode is underwritten by ClimateWorks.
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