Green dreams or dirty realities? Lithium mining, electric vehicles, and the illusion of sustainability

Autor: Sofia Bratyshchenko, Mateusz Radosz

Tytuł artykułu: Green dreams or dirty realities? Lithium mining, electric vehicles, and the illusion of sustainability

Abstract:  As the worldwide push for greener technology intensifies, electric vehicles (EVs) have become a symbol of that movement. The lithium-ion battery lies at the center of the EV boom. But behind this green façade, a darker truth unfolds – lithium mining, concentrated in the Global South, comes at a heavy cost of environmental and social fallout of local communities. This article examines a skyrocketing demand for lithium and impact of mineral’s extraction on local communities. More importantly, the article looks into a paradox ecological imperialism, drawing lines between traditional and green colonialism, or better say extractivism, by examining the ownership of mines. Additionally, the article raises important questions: Who truly benefits from a global lithium boom? Are we shifting from one harmful resource to another equally destructive? Does the end justify means

Key words: Lithium mining, electric vehicles, extractivism, imperialism, colonialism 

Numer DOI artykułu: 
https://doi.org/10.62316/NDRZ7298

Strony 75-86

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