[blamazon]

I want to point out you started this quagmire by connecting into a broader narrative. The linked article simply says "we think localized emissions go down when EV adoption rates go up in a particular area" which says nothing about this larger discussion about the net social effects of EVs. Personally I believe we can discuss this until the end of time without a conclusive answer until someone has completely documented and analyzed all the relevant supply chains end to end for every new ICE car and every new EV car.

[freitzkriesler2]

I really don't have any qualms about posting unpopular facts and truths.

Localized or not, we live in a globalized world and it's a fact that lithium ion battery production is dangerous and dirty work on par with the petroleum that it is trying to eliminate. EV fanatics don't like hearing this, but it is true.

[blamazon]

Agree to disagree to agree. One thing that's particularly dangerous and dirty right now is cobalt. (Used primarily in rechargeable batteries, and airbags, jet engines, etc) Unlike some other exotic materials, it's currently a supply chain that cannot prove which materials were obtained using modern techniques and heavy equipment, and which ones were obtained by hand through brutalized labor practices.

I caught an interview on NPR recently[1] with the author of "Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives"

[1]: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/01/1152893...

[rgmerk]

The claim that lithium ion battery production is as bad as petroleum production is ridiculous.

The scale of mining required to produce a lithium-ion battery and the solar panels to charge it is far lower than required to produce and refine the petroleum used over the lifetime of a vehicle.

The other little secret about mining is that nasty as it is, the impact of non-petroleum mining on the environment is miniscule compared to farming, which is far more damaging but has much better PR.