Caitlin Bonney, MEM
A low-carbon future will require significantly more minerals and metals to be mined from the Earth. A recent report from the World Bank outlines the increase in materials that will be needed to build solar, wind, and battery storage systems large enough to support global temperature increase goals. The study“clearly shows that the technologies assumed to populate the clean energy shift—wind, solar, hydrogen, and electricity systems—are in fact significantly MORE material intensive in their composition than current traditional fossil-fuel-based energy supply systems.” Solar panels and wind turbines have no emissions while operating, but building the equipment requires mined aluminum, copper, lithium, and other metals that come from very dirty and energy intensive processes. Currently, the metal and mineral mining industry accounts for nearly 7% of the world’s energy consumption and has significant greenhouse gas emissions. As we advocate for the increased usage of renewable energy technologies, it is important to think about the entire supply chain and the associated emissions and environmental impacts.
figure: The metal demand of low-carbon technologies increases substantially between the two- and four-degrees scenarios.
