Addressing the Human and Environmental Costs of Mining for EVs
As governments and companies transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, minerals and other physical materials are needed to build new technologies, such as solar panels, electric vehicle batteries, and windmills. While the transition is essential, if not carried out in a rights-respecting way, the extraction, transportation, and processing of transition minerals threatens human rights and the environment.
Mining, including open-pit mining, can permanently damage ecosystems, make air unbreathable and water undrinkable, forcibly displace local communities, and threaten the rights of Indigenous Peoples, whose lands are home to a majority of transition mineral projects. A just, sustainable transition to renewable energy should fully respect human rights and international law, including the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.