Multiple Australian social media posts claim that “500,000 tonnes (227 metric tones) of the earth’s crust” has been excavated in order to mine the materials. One electric car battery. This is misleading. Experts claimed that the posts exaggerated how much earth would be needed for one battery and that electric vehicles have a smaller environmental impact than gasoline-powered cars.
“I have nothing against electric vehicles, but let’s not pretend that they are God’s gift to the atmosphere,” reads a TweetMatt Canavan, an Australian senator, is the representative of the National Party, which forms part of the ruling coalition.
He was retweeting a post that has since been deleted. It stated: “To produce an EV-auto battery, you must process 25,000lbs of brine for lithium, 30,000lbs of cobalt, 5,000lbs of nickel or 25,000lbs of copper.
“All in all, you can dig up 500,000 lbs of the earth’s soil for one battery.”
Screenshot of misleading post taken May 5, 2022
Screenshots from Canavan’s tweet have been shared in multiple Facebook posts. HereAnd HereAnd Here.
However, these claims can be misleading.
‘Gross exaggeration’
Peter NewmanCurtin University professor of sustainability in Australia, argued that the misleading tweet was a “gross exaggeration” that assumed only one type electric vehicle battery was available.
He stated that it is difficult to know how much earth is being displaced by mining. “Factors such geography, type/concentration raw materials and recovery rates all affect the outcome.”
Newman explained that depending on the type and size of the EV battery, each type may require a different mining method and, therefore, a different amount or earth displacement.
The misleading claim “500,000 pounds of earth’s crust are excavated to make one electric vehicle batteries” seems to be a fabrication by a ReportManhattan Institute, which previously promoted climate change scepticism.
The claim was Experts interviewed by AFP refuted the assertion.
Environmental impact
Jake WhiteheadThe head of policy for Australia’s Electric Vehicle Council, stated that the amount of material used in the mining of raw materials to make electric vehicle batteries was “not a suitable metric for comparing environmental impacts”.
He said studiesThe cost of making, maintaining, producing and consuming electricity for electric vehicles was still lower than those powered by gasoline.
“As described in a recent ReportThe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations, [EVs]he stated to AFP that global decarbonisation and net zero by 2050 are crucial.”
Whitehead also stated that more than 90 percent were recyclable in the mining of materials for electric vehicle batteries.
Marko PaakkinenResearch team leader at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland said that while electric car batteries have an impact on the environment it is not as bad as oil production for gasoline-powered vehicles. He stated that spillages, accidents, drilling and other activities can also cause environmental damage.
According to AFP, the thousands of kilos of oil that gasoline vehicles consume are “not recyclable, unlike battery metals,” he said.
Berlin-based researcher Georg BiekerAccording to the International Council on Clean Transportation, criticizing the negative impact of mining for raw materials for batteries was “common narrative”.
He said, “Nevertheless, it’s right to demand improvement.”
Diamond mine
The photo in the posts was shared in a misleading context.
It actually shows up in reverse image and keyword searches DiavikCanada has a diamond mine. Operated and ownedRio Tinto is an Anglo-Australian mining group.
The original image was PublishedCanadian regional news outlet NNSL Media
Below is a comparison between the image in the misleading post (left) & the image published by NNSL Media. (right).
Screenshot of the image in the misleading posting (left) and the one uploaded by NNSL Media.
