CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 16

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 9 of the 9 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The energy transition paradox: How lithium extraction puts pressure on environment, society, and politics

Wolters, Leander, Brusselaers, Jan·2024·The Extractive Industries and Society
DOI 10.1016/j.exis.2024.101498
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries are essential for Europe's renewable energy transition. By 2030, the EU will need 18 times more lithium, and by 2050, 60 times more. For that reason, Europe aims to increase domestic sourcing and achieve nearly full self-sufficiency by 2030. However, lithium mining has a high environmental footprint and can have severe social impacts. This research examines the socio-environmental implications of lithium mining for the EU energy transition and identifies leverage points that alleviate tension between justice and security. The Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, and Political framework was used to systematically gather insights from experts representing various stakeholders on these issues. Subsequently, these insights were compiled into a fuzzy-cognitive map, creating a system-based overview and allow construction and comparison of four scenarios examining the future of lithium and its impacts on the environment and local communities in Europe. This reveals the importance of good governance to avoid issues of corruption and geopolitical tensions with a potential adverse impact on society and environment. However, governance alone is insufficient to mitigate negative impacts. A circular economy, where lithium is recovered from used batteries, is most favorable, reducing the demand for new material and the negative impacts of mining. This holistic overview stresses the need for increased government involvement, stakeholder alignment, and dealin…

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.exis.2024.101498

Cites

9 of 9 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Citations

Cites

Show all 9 references

Research works printed but not linked: 55

  1. Agusdinata, 2022, Critical minerals for electric vehicles: a telecoupling review, Environ. Res. Lett., 17, 10.1088/1748-9326/ac4763 · DOI
  2. Agusdinata, 2018, Socio-environmental impacts of lithium mineral extraction: towards a research agenda, Environ. Res. Lett., 13
  3. Akcil, 2020, COVID-19 disruptions to tech-metals supply are a wake-up call, NatureNature, 587, 365, 10.1038/d41586-020-03190-8 · DOI
  4. Alipour, 2017, A new hybrid fuzzy cognitive map-based scenario planning approach for Iran's oil production pathways in the post–sanction period, Energy, 135, 851, 10.1016/j.energy.2017.06.069 · DOI
  5. Alizadeh, 2016, An integrated scenario-based robust planning approach for foresight and strategic management with application to energy industry, Technol. Forecast. Soc. Change, 104, 162, 10.1016/j.techfore.2015.11.030 · DOI
  6. Amer, 2013, A review of scenario planning, Futures, 46, 23, 10.1016/j.futures.2012.10.003 · DOI
  7. Bolan, 2021, From mine to mind and mobiles – Lithium contamination and its risk management, Environ. Pollut., 290, 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118067 · DOI
  8. Bonsu, 2020, Beyond agenda 2030: future-oriented mechanisms in localising the sustainable development goals (SDGs), Sustain. 2020, 12, 9797
  9. Bordoff, 2022, Green upheaval: the new geopolitics of energy, Foreign Aff.
  10. Börjeson, 2006, Scenario types and techniques: towards a user's guide, Futures, 38, 723, 10.1016/j.futures.2005.12.002 · DOI · Paper page
  11. Castelos, 2023, Mining out of the crisis? The role of the state in the expansion of the lithium frontier in Extremadura, Spain, Extr. Ind. Soc., 15
  12. Castelvecchi, 2021, Electric cars and batteries: how will the world produce enough?, Nature, 596, 336, 10.1038/d41586-021-02222-1 · DOI · Paper page
  13. Cater, 2022, EU mining code plans alarm both industry and NGOs, Politico
  14. Chaves, 2021, Concerns about lithium extraction: a review and application for Portugal✰, Extr. Ind. Soc., 8
  15. Ciftci, 2023, Deciphering the impacts of ‘green'energy transition on socio-environmental lithium conflicts: evidence from Argentina and Chile, Extr. Ind. Soc., 16
  16. Deberdt, 2021, Conflict minerals and battery materials supply chains: a mapping review of responsible sourcing initiatives, Extr. Ind. Soc., 8
  17. Dombey, 2021, Spain's rush for lithium falls foul of local opposition, Financial Times
  18. Dunn, 2021, Circularity of lithium-ion battery materials in electric vehicles, Environ. Sci. Technol., 55, 5189, 10.1021/acs.est.0c07030 · DOI
  19. Gibb, 2021, The rise and rise of lithium, Nat Chem, 13, 107, 10.1038/s41557-021-00638-w · DOI
  20. Hailes, 2022, Lithium in International Law: trade, investment, and the pursuit of supply chain justice, J. Int. Econ. Law, 25, 148, 10.1093/jiel/jgac002 · DOI
  21. Halleux, 2023, New EU regulatory framework for batteries [EU Legislation in Progress], European Parliament
  22. Hook, 2021, How the race for renewable energy is reshaping global politics | financial times, Financial Times
  23. Jetter, 2014, Fuzzy cognitive maps for futures studies-a methodological assessment of concepts and methods, Futures, 61, 45, 10.1016/j.futures.2014.05.002 · DOI
  24. Kalantzakos, 2020, The race for critical minerals in an era of geopolitical realignments, Int. Spect., 55, 1, 10.1080/03932729.2020.1786926 · DOI · Paper page
  25. Kalmykov, 2021, Operation of three-stage process of lithium recovery from geothermal brine: simulation, Membranes, 11, 10.3390/membranes11030175 · DOI · Paper page
  26. Kebede, 2022, A comprehensive review of stationary energy storage devices for large scale renewable energy sources grid integration, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., 159, 10.1016/j.rser.2022.112213 · DOI
  27. Kim, 2019, Lithium-ion batteries: outlook on present, future, and hybridized technologies, J. Mater. Chem. A, 7, 2942, 10.1039/C8TA10513H · DOI
  28. Köppel, 2024, What should “we” do? Subjects and scales in the double-bind between energy transition and lithium extraction, Extr. Ind. Soc., 17
  29. Kosai, 2021, Natural resource use of a traction lithium-ion battery production based on land disturbances through mining activities, J. Clean. Prod., 280, 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124871 · DOI
  30. Kosko, 1986, Fuzzy cognitive maps, Int. J. Man. Mach. Stud., 24, 65, 10.1016/S0020-7373(86)80040-2 · DOI · Paper page
  31. Kramarz, 2021, Governing the dark side of renewable energy: a typology of global displacements, Energy Res. Soc. Sci., 74, 10.1016/j.erss.2020.101902 · DOI
  32. Lèbre, 2020, The social and environmental complexities of extracting energy transition metals, Nat. Commun., 11
  33. Lee, 2022, The trouble with lithium, Bloomberg.Com
  34. Liu, 2020, Interdependencies of lithium mining and communities sustainability in Salar de Atacama, Chile, J. Clean. Prod., 260, 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120838 · DOI · Paper page
  35. Liu, 2021, Dynamics of local impacts in low-carbon transition: agent-based modeling of lithium mining-community-aquifer interactions in Salar de Atacama, Chile, Extr. Ind. Soc., 8
  36. Meng, 2021, Review of lithium production and recovery from minerals, brines, and lithium-ion batteries, Miner. Process. Extr. Metall. Rev., 42, 123, 10.1080/08827508.2019.1668387 · DOI
  37. Mugurusi, 2022, Blockchain technology needs for sustainable mineral supply chains: a framework for responsible sourcing of Cobalt, Procedia Comput. Sci., 200, 638, 10.1016/j.procs.2022.01.262 · DOI
  38. Owen, 2020, Catastrophic tailings dam failures and disaster risk disclosure, Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduction., 42, 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101361 · DOI
  39. Özesmi, 2004, Ecological models based on people's knowledge: a multi-step fuzzy cognitive mapping approach, Ecol. Modell., 176, 43, 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2003.10.027 · DOI
  40. Panagos, 2022, Soil priorities in the European Union, Geoderma Reg., 29, e00510, 10.1016/j.geodrs.2022.e00510 · DOI
  41. Park, 2021, The Effect of blockchain technology on supply chain sustainability performances, Sustain., 13, 1726, 10.3390/su13041726 · DOI
  42. Perreault, 2020, Bolivia's high stakes lithium gamble, NACLA Rep. Americas, 52, 165, 10.1080/10714839.2020.1768739 · DOI
  43. Richter, 2022, A circular economy approach is needed for electric vehicles, Nat. Electron., 5, 5, 10.1038/s41928-021-00711-9 · DOI
  44. Sekularac, 2022, Serbia revokes Rio Tinto lithium project licences amid protests, Reuters
  45. Sengupta, 2022, Chile writes a new constitution, confronting climate change head on, The New York Times
  46. Silva, 2023, The calm before the storm? The making of a lithium frontier in transitioning Portugal, Extr. Ind. Soc., 15
  47. Sonter, 2020, Renewable energy production will exacerbate mining threats to biodiversity, Nat Commun, 11
  48. Trompiz, 2022, French lithium mine project unveiled in electric car race, Reuters
  49. Valle, 2013, Bolivia's energy and mineral resources trade and investments with China: potential socioeconomic and environmental effects of lithium extraction, Lat. Am. Policy, 4, 93, 10.1111/lamp.12007 · DOI
  50. Vikström, 2020, Risk or opportunity? The extractive industries’ response to critical metals in renewable energy technologies, 1980-2014, Extr. Ind. Soc., 7, 20
  51. Watari, 2020, Review of critical metal dynamics to 2050 for 48 elements, Resour. Conserv. Recycl., 155, 10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.104669 · DOI
  52. Wojewska, 2024, The criticality of lithium and the finance-sustainability nexus: supply-demand perceptions, state policies, production networks, and financial actors, Extr. Ind. Soc., 17
  53. Wrålsen, 2021, Circular business models for lithium-ion batteries—Stakeholders, barriers, and drivers, J. Clean. Prod., 317, 128393, 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128393 · DOI
  54. Xu, 2020, Future material demand for automotive lithium-based batteries, Commun. Mater., 1, 99, 10.1038/s43246-020-00095-x · DOI · Paper page
  55. Zhao, 2021, A review on battery market trends, second-life reuse, and recycling, Sustain. Chem., 2, 167, 10.3390/suschem2010011 · DOI

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Metadata

Authors
Wolters, L., & Brusselaers, J.
Venue
The Extractive Industries and Society
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2024-09
Volume
19
Pages
101498
ISSN
2214-790X
DOI
10.1016/j.exis.2024.101498
Cited by
16
References
9
Language
en
Licence

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review