Globally, electric car sales could reach around 17 million in 2024, surpassing 2023 by more than 20% [IEA Global EV Outlook 2024]. It is expected that the share of electric vehicles will rise to 1/5th of the total cars sold. In India over 1.7 million units sold. Over half of the total EVs sold in India are electric scooters. This is expected to rise significantly in the coming years. The increase in government policies favouring indigenous electric vehicle production has contributed to these figures. Electric vehicle is said to be a cleaner way of transportation but the ground reality is very different. To make electric car exploitation of human resources, greenhouse emissions are a ground reality
Resource extraction
To produce electric vehicle battery metals like Lithium, cobalt and nickel are needed. Mining these metals is an environmentally disruptive process, which leads to the destruction of habitat, deforestation and disruption of ecology.
For instance, cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has raised serious environmental and human rights concerns, with reports of child labour and unsafe working conditions.
Energy intensive production
The energy needed to produce an electric vehicle is much higher than any gas vehicle. This includes the energy needed to extract the resources, refine the raw metal and assemble the components of the bettery and the electric car. a study by the Swedish Environmental Research Institute revealed that the production of a single EV battery could emit up to 17.5 tonnes of CO2. When comparing the overall carbon footprint, including the manufacturing and operational phases the actual ratio between the energy required in traditional means of transportation and electric mobility is either the same or more siding towards EV.
The electric vehicle's key benefit is that it does not give out smoke.. right? While EVs have zero tailpipe emissions, the electricity used to charge them often comes from non-renewable sources, such as coal and natural gas. This means that the carbon footprint of an EV can be comparable to, or even higher than, that of a traditional vehicle, depending on the energy mix of the region. For instance, in countries heavily reliant on coal-fired power plants, the environmental benefits of EVs are significantly reduced.
Child Labour
Cobalt is a key component in any type of electric vehicle, especially in Batteries. Most of the cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo. DRC has several problems especially unethical labour practices especially Child Labour. Children as young as seven work in hazardous conditions, often without protective gear, for meagre wages. This raises serious ethical questions about the sustainability of the EV industry. This does not help with the research showing Tesla promoting this type of malpractice to reduce the price of the car. While some car manufacturers are doing their best to stop such malpractice, the pervasive nature of these practices makes it challenging to ensure that all cobalt used in EVs is ethically sourced.
Battery Disposal
the average lifespan of an EV battery ranges from 8 to 15 years after which it needs to be replaced. Currently, the boost for EVs has come up recently so this problem has not come up in reality. The disposal and recycling of these batteries pose significant environmental challenges. I mean how will you dispose of it? You can burn it but it will result in greenhouse emissions to the extent it might outweigh the core benefit of electric cars - Good for your environment. You can't just throw it because it will be cancerous for the soil resulting in infertility and several problems. Now imagine this for more than a billion batteries. Imagine it...
The infrastructure for recycling EV batteries is still underdeveloped in many parts of the world. This leads to the accumulation of electronic waste, posing a significant environmental hazard. In contrast, traditional gasoline vehicles, despite their emissions, do not have the same level of toxic waste associated with their disposal.
Water consumption
The consumption of water for creating an electric car is astronomical. Lithium extraction from brine deposits in arid regions of South America consumes vast quantities of water, often leading to conflicts with local communities over water usage. in Chile’s Atacama Desert, lithium mining has led to the depletion of water resources which has been impacting local farmers and local communities who rely on these water sources for their livelihoods.
Exploitation of human resources
Mining of elements like cobalt and Lithium has led to the exploitation of human resources, especially in developing countries. Workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, lithium mines in South Africa and nickel mines in Indonesia have very low wages and little to no protective gear. Due to the lack of protective gear, workers often children are exposed to toxic dust or fumes from cobalt and lithium, which has resulted in a decrease in life expectancy to a significant level. The massive profit from these mines does not benefit local communities. They are stolen by the owner and this results in the degradation of the quality of life along with other problems in the economy and the state at the broader scale
Conclusion
As we move towards a greener future, it is essential to consider the negatives of the alternatives we are considering, because they might seem clean on paper but play a worse role for the environment and human rights. If we want a cleaner living we have to source real estate and raw materials from a cleaner source and respect human rights, every man women and children should have
Credits
Img1: EE News
Img2: Scroll. in
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