Mining will continue with or without EVs. We extract minerals from the earth for thousands of everyday applications, like construction products (including glass, pavement, and wiring), steel manufacturing, electric motors, velcro, plastics, and even toothpaste.
The transition to battery-powered vehicles creates an opportunity to take a close look at mining laws, which haven’t been updated since 1872, and change them to protect mining-adjacent communities and the environment. Because the minerals in EV batteries are highly recyclable, and the batteries can be reused or repurposed, minerals only have to be mined once and can then be used over and over again in new EV batteries. This is unlike relying on fossil fuels, which requires endless exploration, drilling, extraction, refining, and burning–all of which are dangerous to workers, the health and safety of adjacent communities, and the environment.
