Are Electric Car Batteries Sustainable? Climate, Social Impacts, and Mining Challenges - OPINION JAN 16, 2026

Photo Unsplash by Andrew Roberts

By Ana Lucia Cunha-Busch

Are Electric Car Batteries Sustainable? Climate, Social Impacts, and Mining Challenges

Electric vehicles help reduce transport emissions, but the extraction of lithium, cobalt, and other critical minerals raises social and environmental concerns that put the energy transition under scrutiny.

The role of electric vehicles in the energy transition

Electric vehicles are widely regarded as one of the primary solutions for reducing emissions from the transportation sector, which accounts for approximately 15% of global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). At the heart of this shift are batteries, an essential technology for replacing internal combustion engines.

As electric vehicle sales grow rapidly, so does the debate over the true environmental and social footprint of batteries, from mineral extraction to end-of-life disposal.

What are electric car batteries made of?

Most electric vehicles use lithium-ion batteries, chosen for being lightweight, efficient, and capable of storing large amounts of energy. Each battery pack is made up of thousands of rechargeable cells, composed of:

Anode, usually made of graphite

Cathode, whose composition varies by technology

An electrolyte, which allows ion flow

A separator, which prevents short circuits

Main battery types:

NMC (Nickel, Manganese, and Cobalt): higher driving range but greater dependence on critical minerals

LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate): lower environmental impact during production and no cobalt, but lower energy density

Sodium-ion (under development): a promising alternative using more abundant and lower-cost materials

Lithium and cobalt mining: social and environmental impacts

Despite the climate benefits of electric vehicles, extracting the minerals used in batteries causes significant impacts on local communities and ecosystems.

Cobalt and human rights violations

Around 70% of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented:

Child labour

Dangerous working conditions

Lack of health and safety protections

These findings raise serious questions about corporate responsibility within global EV supply chains.

Lithium and water scarcity

Lithium mining is concentrated in the so-called “lithium triangle” — Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia — regions already affected by water scarcity. In Chile’s Atacama Desert, lithium extraction consumes large volumes of groundwater, impacting:

Indigenous communities

Local agriculture

Fragile ecosystems

These impacts highlight the risk that the energy transition may reproduce historical inequalities, particularly in the Global South.

Who dominates global battery production?

China leads the global electric vehicle and battery supply chain. In 2023, the country accounted for more than half of global EV sales and around 75% of global lithium-ion battery production, according to the IEA.

Companies such as CATL and BYD play a central role in this dominance. In response, the United States, Canada, and the European Union are expanding investments in domestic battery manufacturing to reduce strategic dependencies and improve environmental standards.

Electric vehicle sales growth

Falling battery prices have fuelled rapid growth in the global EV market. According to BloombergNEF, battery costs have fallen by around 97% over the past 30 years.

2017: around 1 million EVs sold

2022: more than 10 million

2024 (forecast): 16.7 million, over 20% of global car sales

The IEA projects that by 2035, half of all cars sold worldwide will be electric, potentially rising to two-thirds if climate commitments are met.

Do electric cars emit less over their lifetime?

Manufacturing an electric vehicle produces higher upfront emissions than producing a combustion-engine car, primarily due to the production of batteries. However, this impact is offset during use.

Studies show that:

An EV offsets manufacturing emissions in about two years.

According to the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), lifetime emissions are up to three times lower than those of conventional cars in the US and Europe.

Even in coal-heavy electricity systems, EVs emit less over time.

The IEA estimates that an electric car sold in 2023 will emit, on average, half the lifetime emissions of a comparable combustion-engine vehicle.

Battery recycling: a solution still under development

Electric vehicle batteries last between 15 and 20 years and can have a second life in renewable energy storage. Recycling, however, still faces major challenges:

Lack of standardisation

Costly and complex processes

Fire and pollution risks

New technologies such as direct recycling are being developed. According to the IEA, recycling battery minerals could reduce the need for new mining by around 10% by 2040.

A fair energy transition is essential

Electric car batteries are not impact-free. Still, scientific evidence shows that electric vehicles are essential for cutting transport emissions. The challenge now is ensuring a fair energy transition — one that respects human rights, protects communities affected by mining, and invests in circular economy solutions.

Without these safeguards, the risk is replacing a climate problem with new social and environmental conflicts.

Sources:

International Energy Agency (IEA)

BloombergNEF

International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)

Amnesty International

Human Rights Watch

Carbon Brief