Who really pays for electric vehicles?
Maybe it’s the hot weather making me bolshie this morning, but it’s a problem that isn’t going away any time soon: Electric cars are having a huge take up in technically developed ‘First World’ countries – Europe, Scandinavia, North America, Australia etc. Most lithium comes from ‘developing’ countries where only the richest 10% even have cars.
Developing countries pay environmental cost of electric car batteries: https://unctad.org/news/developing-countries-pay-environmental-cost-electric-car-batteries
Congo, Child Labour, and Your Electric Car:
https://www.ft.com/content/c6909812-9ce4-11e9-9c06-a4640c9feebb
Child Labour, Toxic Leaks: the Price we (we?!) could pay for a Greener Future:
When I read a news article telling me about the life of 7 year old Micheal Williams working in the Cornish lithium mines, or 5 year old Heidi digging cobalt ore out of the ground with her bare hands in Norway, then we can discuss how great electric vehicles are and exactly who they’re Saving the Planet for.