Socio-environmental impacts of lithium mineral extraction: towards a research agenda

Abstract

The production of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has increased in capacity by almost eight fold in the past ten years due to growing demand for consumer electronics and electric-drive vehicles. The social and environmental implications of increased lithium demand is significant not only in the context of policy initiatives that are incentivizing electric vehicle adoption, but also because electric vehicle adoption is part of the vision of sustainability transitions that are being put forth in a variety of contexts. Any evidence that suggests that the externalities of the technology uptake are not being addressed would directly counter the intent of such initiatives. For LIBs to be fully sustainable, it is imperative that impacts along life cycle stages be adequately addressed, including lithium mineral extraction. This study investigates how the scope and focus of research in this area are changing and what drives their evolution. Based on a bibliometric analysis, we evaluate the state of research on the issues of lithium mineral extraction, use, and their impacts. The article identifies research hotspots and emerging research agendas by mapping the evolution of research focus and themes. Our analysis finds that research on the socio-environmental impacts of lithium extraction at local level has been very limited. We discuss some research directions to address the knowledge gaps in terms of specific research topics, methodologies, and broader system perspectives.

Chemical and isotopic features of Li-rich brines from the Salar de Olaroz, Central Andes of NW Argentina

“…It is worth noting that the water usage for lithium carbonate production may significantly modify the water balance of the basin, leading to dramatic consequences for this delicate natural system. Moreover, although Li exploitation is to be considered an important opportunity for the economic development of the region, the socio-environmental impact of mining activity on local communities needs to be urgently evaluated (Agusdinata et al, 2018).…”

Upcoming Challenges in Land Use Science—An International Perspective

“…In contrast, policy changes, for instance in Brazil, foster the degradation and destruction of the Amazonian forest (Freitas et al 2018), while in the boreal forests, large areas are burnt, for instance, in Russia in the recent years through missing monitoring and mismanagement, whose capacities to regulate the large subsurface Carbon resources in permafrost soils are now destroyed (Schaphoff et al 2016;Shuman et al 2017. The current debates on stopping CC are more focussing on replacing the critical use of fossil energy and related technologies by other critical technologies (e-Mobility) with increasingly disastrous social and ecological impacts on land use systems through the extraction of rare metals and particularly of lithium (Agusdinata et al 2018;Lee and Wen 2017). In contrast, approved and traditionally developed strategies related to land use as a means to mitigate CC or to adapt to the not-anymore manageable impacts are lost in the societal and political discourse (Eguavoen et al 2015;Knutti et al 2016).…”

Mining in the Newspapers: Local and Regional Media Representations of Mineral Exploration and Mining in Finland, Germany, and Spain

“…This narrative has traditionally emphasized the gradual accumulation of wealth and prosperity through the utilization of natural resources by manufacturing and industries. More recently, this narrative has also highlighted the need for rapid socio-technical change to meet the sustainability challenges and the role of the mining sector as the provider of rare earth metals and other critical resources needed to transform societies to become carbon–neutral [ 4 – 6 ]. For example, it has been cautioned that the contribution of wind power and solar photovoltaics to the EU transition to green energy may be limited due to shortages of several critical materials [ 7 ].…”