Minerals
Lithium
According to the International Energy Agency, achieving a Sustainable Development scenario could require a 42 times increase in current annual global production of Lithium by 2040. This is due to lithium being the crucial element in contemporary battery technologies. However, questions remain over the water demands of its extraction, threatening communities in Latin America in particular.
Nickel
By 2040, Nickel demand could be 19 times its current levels, with clean energy technologies taking up 60% of all Nickel demand. Used in both Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminium Oxide (NCA) and Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC) batteries, both of which are frequently used in electric vehicles, this mineral is seen as critical to transitioning to battery-electric forms of mobility. However, with Nickel mining soon to replace Palm Oil as the biggest driver of deforestation in Eastern Indonesia, significant questions about the environmental impact of Nickel need to be asked.
Cobalt
With demand expected to increase by up to 21 times its current levels by 2040, and cobalt holding critical potentials for providing battery stability and improving endurance, supplying this mineral is arguably critical. However, its mining, predominantly located in the Democratic Republic of Congo is plagued by human rights abuses and the constant presence of child labour. As such, understanding more about how this critical mineral is mined is vital.