Evaluating the impact of mining for critical electric vehicle and stationary storage battery minerals on land use and biodiversity

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries are a key technology for eliminating global fossil fuel consumption; however, critical battery minerals are obtained through mining projects that often cause land use change and habitat destruction, threatening local biodiversity. Here, we present a novel analysis, projecting the land use and biodiversity impacts of key lithium, nickel, cobalt, and graphite mines by 2030, as demand for battery minerals grows. 95 % of total land use increase from 2023 to 2030 (460 km2) at the mines studied is expected to be from lithium mining, due to the spatial requirements of brine-based lithium extraction. Lithium mining is also expected to have the largest biodiversity impact in 2030 (4296 km2, weighted by species richness and rarity). While this analysis offers just one method for quantifying the biodiversity impact of battery mineral mining, our results suggest that mines with low yields and located in areas of high species richness or rarity may pose significant risk to local ecosystems.