A Transport & Environment report points the finger at the ascertained child exploitation in the mines of Congo and the environmental problems related to lithium extraction in South America.

Zero consumer emissions, but great social cost and pollution at the source. The undisputed environmental benefits of mobility on electric vehicles compared to the circulation of petrol and diesel cars is beginning to deal with the other side of the coin – the polluting emissions and terrible working conditions of a production chain which is still not being properly considered: that of electric batteries. A report by Transport & Environment (T&E) is shedding light on the subject. T&E is an ‘umbrella’ organization that brings together 60 European associations and foundations that are active in the transition to “zero-emission mobility”. Electric vehicles and their batteries are at the center of a strategy to reduce pollution and global warming, yet they still have an environmental impact, particularly in regards to the production and extraction of metals, which calls for the intervention of European legislators to make the entire supply chain more sustainable.

“Moving emissions”

The mining of raw materials for batteries and their final transformation process “requires significant amounts of energy which could generate GHG emissions so high that the marginal climate benefit by using electric vehicles instead of ICE vehicles is reduced.“ In other words, “emissions are moved from one ‘pipeline’ to another“, creating a supply chain that “would require new regulations”.