Batteries and Environmental Justice

The authors contend that the boom in energy transition mineral (ETM) extraction threatens Indigenous Peoples and biodiversity, noting that 54% of known ETM projects are on Indigenous lands. They criticize U.S. mining laws from 1872 and the Biden administration's support for the Thacker Pass mine in Nevada as contradictory to Indigenous rights. To reduce reliance on extraction, the document advocates for a circular economy hierarchy prioritizing demand reduction, reuse, and high-standard recycling, specifically favoring direct recycling over pyrometallurgy.

• Energy transition mineral (ETM) extraction poses significant risks to Indigenous Peoples, with 54% of the 5,097 known current and future ETM projects located on Indigenous lands. Extraction near these communities is strongly linked to increased substance abuse and gender-based violence, including trafficking, harassment, murder, and sexual violence.
• Mining and mineral processing contribute substantially to global pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 24% of global pollution and 17% of all GHG emissions. Specifically, the mining of one ton of lithium results in the emission of 15 tons of CO2.
• In Nevada, the Biden administration has supported a lithium mine at Thacker Pass (Peehee Mu’huh), despite opposition from the Atsa Koodakuh wyh Nuwu (People of Red Mountain), which includes the Shoshone, Bannock, and Fort McDermitt Paiute Tribes. As of July 2024, construction is entirely permitted, although the second phase requires state water permits from Nevada.
• The authors advocate for a circular economy to reduce primary extraction, distinguishing between three recycling methods: pyrometallurgy (incineration), which is deemed non-viable due to high emissions; hydrometallurgical recycling, which uses chemically treated water and is currently the most ready for expansion; and direct recycling, which is currently in the R&D or pilot stage and is considered the least harmful option.
• Recycling should be the final step in a circular economy hierarchy, occurring only after a battery's minerals can no longer be used following multiple decades of service. It should be deployed alongside demand reduction, remanufacture, and designing for disassembly.

APA

Marpillero-Colomina, A., & Dominguez, R. (2024). Batteries and Environmental Justice. GreenLatinos. https://www.greenlatinos.org/batteries-and-environmental-justice/

Chicago

Marpillero-Colomina, Andrea, and Raquel Dominguez. Batteries and Environmental Justice. GreenLatinos, 2024. https://www.greenlatinos.org/batteries-and-environmental-justice/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Marpillero-Colomina |first1=Andrea |last2=Dominguez |first2=Raquel |title=Batteries and Environmental Justice |publisher=GreenLatinos |date=18 July 2024 |url=https://www.greenlatinos.org/batteries-and-environmental-justice/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{marpillerocolomina2024batteries, author = {Marpillero-Colomina, Andrea and Dominguez, Raquel}, title = {{Batteries and Environmental Justice}}, publisher = {GreenLatinos}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://www.greenlatinos.org/batteries-and-environmental-justice/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }