Traditional lithium mining can ruin the surrounding environment, posing a risk to the health of local communities and wildlife. But lithium is also an essential component of making electric vehicles a widespread reality.
FILE – A dried up portion of the Salton Sea stretches out with a geothermal power plant in the distance in Niland, Calif., Thursday, July 15, 2021. Demand for electric vehicles has shifted investments into high gear to extract lithium from geothermal wastewater around the rapidly shrinking body of water. The ultralight metal is critical to rechargeable batteries. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
As production for a new mine in Nevada gears up, the company behind the project, Lithium Americas, reveals how they’re reducing the public health threats and environmental impact of lithium mining.
Dr. Glenn Miller, the Co-Chair of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science at University of Nevada-Reno, is traditionally a mining critic. But he talks about how the new mine at Thacker Pass will operate and why he believes its construction is essential to combatting climate change.
Guest Information:
- Dr. Glenn Miller, Semi-Retired Professor and Co-Chair of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada-Reno
- Marko Paunović, former Serbian citizen
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