Electric car batteries are bad for the environment: Amnesty International

On Thursday, Amnesty International called on electric car manufacturers to manufacture batteries using unethical and fossil fuel-intensive methods.

The human rights NGO argued that years of unregulated industrial practices in the extraction of minerals used in lithium-ion batteries had resulted in "detrimental effects on the human rights and the environment ".

"Finding effective solutions to the climate crisis is an absolute imperative, and electric cars have an important role to play in this regard," said Kumi Naidoo, Amnesty International's secretary-general, in a statement.

"But without radical changes, the batteries that power the green vehicles will continue to be tainted with human rights abuses," he added.

Human rights violations

The NGO said it documented serious human rights violations related to cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including child labor and exposure to serious health risks. .

He also said that indigenous communities close to lithium mines in Argentina are not properly consulted on mining projects on their land and are insufficiently informed of potential impacts on water sources because the Lithium extraction consumes a lot of water.

Environmental impacts

The growing demand for minerals needed for battery manufacture has sparked renewed interest in deep-sea mining.

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the International Seabed Authority has awarded 29 contracts for the exploration of deep-water mineral deposits in May 2018. L & I IUCN estimates that commercial mining could start in 2020 in Papua New Guinea national waters and by 2025 in international waters.

A study conducted by scientists from Exeter University concluded last year that deep-sea mining could result in the release of toxic elements and the rapid loss of fish. Marine species.

In addition, battery production is currently concentrated in Asian countries, including China, South Korea and Japan, where "electricity production remains dependent on coal and other sources of energy. polluting energy, "said Amnesty.

The NGO however leases some companies, including Apple, BMW, Daimler and Renault, for publishing data on their supply chains. He urges others to do the same and calls on the electric vehicle industry to come up with a clean and environmentally friendly battery within the next five years.