Quote:
Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby
It just isn't that simple. Arkansas will now be hosting Exxon-Mobile's first foray into the United States with mining lithium. The process involves separating the lithium from saltwater. In Arkansas. A landlocked state. There's no natural saltwater, they have to drill over 10,000 feet to get to it. The process also results in pollution to area freshwater sources. Which means - a whole lot of new employees to do the drilling, and a whole lot of new employees to dig new plots in cemeteries to bury all the people who will die from poisoned water sources.
And that's because - there is no place to PUT the polluted water, they don't have the kinds of treatment plants necessary to clean the toxic waste produced by the lithium drilling operation.
No point in reducing global warming that will happen eventually whether we contribute to it or not, if everyone is dead before it ever gets that far.
There's lots of lithium in Arkansas. So there's going to be lots of drilling. And lots of displaced wildlife who have to live somewhere, but won't be living near the wells. The country will be less reliant on foreign sources for lithium - which is where you get those batteries for your electric vehicles. So we pollute the land to get the lithium that makes the batteries we use in our electric cars that we drive to prevent pollution from oil drilling.
See what I mean? It's not that simple.
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That's TRUE, and I would just add that most all inventions and societal changes come with SOME form of DOWNSIDE. Eventually, there may be a better replacement for the lithium battery (like maybe a hydrogen cell or something that we have never even heard about).
........I believe that the internal combustion engine is now "long in the tooth" and is being replaced as we speak. The US has 8% new cars that are E-powered (lithium) and Europe has about 20% of new vehicle sales of e-vehicles. I think that if the US got to 30% ONLY that the upper atmosphere reflecting layer would begin to heal and we would BEGIN to REVERSE Global Warming. This is JUST my guess, but at least it is practical and achievable without a total replacement of all ICE vehicles.
.........With E-vehicles we do NOT have to stop pollution at EVERY MOVING VEHICLE like with ICE vehicles (which is difficult). We have better control of the pollution coming from the Electricity generating Companies and sources.
.........And a VERY big positive would be that we would NOT have to KISS the butts of the Saudi Arabians. And we might better avoid Middle East wars.