Institute for Ecological Economics @WU Vienna
@ecologicalecon.bsky.social
Decent living within Earth System Boundaries | Energy Transition | Global Resource Use | Climate Economics and Finance @wuvienna.bsky.social
Authors: Stefan Giljum, @victormaus.bsky.social, @juliakaa.bsky.social , Leonard Weber, Andreas Kroiss, Judith Pigneur & Adrien Toledano Zamorano.
Commissioned by @fern.org and Regnskogfondet.
5/6
Commissioned by @fern.org and Regnskogfondet.
5/6
May 8, 2025 at 7:31 AM
Authors: Stefan Giljum, @victormaus.bsky.social, @juliakaa.bsky.social , Leonard Weber, Andreas Kroiss, Judith Pigneur & Adrien Toledano Zamorano.
Commissioned by @fern.org and Regnskogfondet.
5/6
Commissioned by @fern.org and Regnskogfondet.
5/6
The good news: Deforestation can be significantly reduced by technology and policy choices:
🔋 Switch to low-impact LFP batteries
🚶 Support public transport, car-sharing & smaller vehicles
🌍 Responsible sourcing from low-deforestation countries, strict due diligence, “no-go zones” for mining
4/6
🔋 Switch to low-impact LFP batteries
🚶 Support public transport, car-sharing & smaller vehicles
🌍 Responsible sourcing from low-deforestation countries, strict due diligence, “no-go zones” for mining
4/6
May 8, 2025 at 7:31 AM
The good news: Deforestation can be significantly reduced by technology and policy choices:
🔋 Switch to low-impact LFP batteries
🚶 Support public transport, car-sharing & smaller vehicles
🌍 Responsible sourcing from low-deforestation countries, strict due diligence, “no-go zones” for mining
4/6
🔋 Switch to low-impact LFP batteries
🚶 Support public transport, car-sharing & smaller vehicles
🌍 Responsible sourcing from low-deforestation countries, strict due diligence, “no-go zones” for mining
4/6
🌲 Under a business-as-usual scenario, EU EV demand could result in the loss of 65,000 hectares of forest by 2050.
If battery technologies with high deforestation intensity dominate, deforestation could rise up to 118,000 hectares.
3/6
If battery technologies with high deforestation intensity dominate, deforestation could rise up to 118,000 hectares.
3/6
May 8, 2025 at 7:31 AM
🌲 Under a business-as-usual scenario, EU EV demand could result in the loss of 65,000 hectares of forest by 2050.
If battery technologies with high deforestation intensity dominate, deforestation could rise up to 118,000 hectares.
3/6
If battery technologies with high deforestation intensity dominate, deforestation could rise up to 118,000 hectares.
3/6
⚒️ While steel and aluminium make up the bulk of metal demand in EVs, it's the battery metals - especially cobalt, nickel, and copper - that drive the highest deforestation impacts.
These impacts vary greatly by battery type.
2/6
These impacts vary greatly by battery type.
2/6
May 8, 2025 at 7:31 AM
⚒️ While steel and aluminium make up the bulk of metal demand in EVs, it's the battery metals - especially cobalt, nickel, and copper - that drive the highest deforestation impacts.
These impacts vary greatly by battery type.
2/6
These impacts vary greatly by battery type.
2/6
💡 Spatially explicit data is essential for accurately assessing the environmental impacts of lithium mining.
💡 Effective mitigation requires cooperation between lithium-producing and consuming countries.
📄 Read the full paper: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
💡 Effective mitigation requires cooperation between lithium-producing and consuming countries.
📄 Read the full paper: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Robust Assessments of Lithium Mining Impacts Embodied in Global Supply Chain Require Spatially Explicit Analyses
Lithium is a critical material for the energy transition, but its mining causes significant environmental impacts that will intensify due to surging global demand. Here, we conduct a mining site-speci...
pubs.acs.org
March 19, 2025 at 7:40 AM
💡 Spatially explicit data is essential for accurately assessing the environmental impacts of lithium mining.
💡 Effective mitigation requires cooperation between lithium-producing and consuming countries.
📄 Read the full paper: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
💡 Effective mitigation requires cooperation between lithium-producing and consuming countries.
📄 Read the full paper: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
💡 Mining-related impacts on greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and land use vary significantly between lithium extraction sites worldwide.
💡 Two-thirds of these impacts are embedded in the international trade of lithium-containing products.
💡 Two-thirds of these impacts are embedded in the international trade of lithium-containing products.
March 19, 2025 at 7:40 AM
💡 Mining-related impacts on greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and land use vary significantly between lithium extraction sites worldwide.
💡 Two-thirds of these impacts are embedded in the international trade of lithium-containing products.
💡 Two-thirds of these impacts are embedded in the international trade of lithium-containing products.
Hosted by the Global Resource Use (GRU) research group, www.materialflows.net is the official visualisation portal of the UN IRP Global Material Flows Database.
Explore the sector profile and other visualisations here:
www.materialflows.net/visualisatio...
Explore the sector profile and other visualisations here:
www.materialflows.net/visualisatio...
Visualisation Centre – materialflows.net
www.materialflows.net
January 31, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Hosted by the Global Resource Use (GRU) research group, www.materialflows.net is the official visualisation portal of the UN IRP Global Material Flows Database.
Explore the sector profile and other visualisations here:
www.materialflows.net/visualisatio...
Explore the sector profile and other visualisations here:
www.materialflows.net/visualisatio...
Features of the sector profile:
📊Data on global material extraction and use (along supply chains) by sectors
📊Identification of hotspot sectors through comparisons of material use, value added, and employment
📊Trend analyses illustrating the development of sectoral material consumption over time
📊Data on global material extraction and use (along supply chains) by sectors
📊Identification of hotspot sectors through comparisons of material use, value added, and employment
📊Trend analyses illustrating the development of sectoral material consumption over time
January 31, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Features of the sector profile:
📊Data on global material extraction and use (along supply chains) by sectors
📊Identification of hotspot sectors through comparisons of material use, value added, and employment
📊Trend analyses illustrating the development of sectoral material consumption over time
📊Data on global material extraction and use (along supply chains) by sectors
📊Identification of hotspot sectors through comparisons of material use, value added, and employment
📊Trend analyses illustrating the development of sectoral material consumption over time