By Harrison E. (DWBA)
The shift towards renewable energy sources stands as the primary solution for cutting carbon emissions and addressing climate change. It is essential to achieving sustainable energy. Nations throughout the world are focusing their investments on wind and solar power to replace traditional fossil fuels with cleaner energy sources. Solar panels and wind turbines give us carbon-free electricity production, but they rely on supply chains that create other environmental and ethical challenges. The extraction processes of the required rare earth materials raise complex social and ethical issues, which currently receive insufficient attention from a society focused on covering its carbon footprint. While the expansion of solar and wind energy is important for a sustainable future, it should be carefully managed to avoid environmental and human rights issues.
The demand for solar panels, wind turbines and batteries accelerates as countries push forward the decrease in fossil fuel usage. In 2022, solar and wind met 12% of global energy needs. By 2030, it is expected to exceed 33% with 12,000–14,000 Twhh of power generation, which is 3 to 4 times more than the 2022 level. [1] Falling infrastructure costs and advancements in technology have encouraged the adoption of solar panels by utilities, businesses and homes. This may seem like a positive step, however we cannot ignore the potentially unpredictable and often overlooked hidden costs of renewable energy. As we proceed with rapid alternative energy adoption, we need to face these challenges directly.
Environmental Impact of Mining
The hidden costs lie in the materials used to build these technologies as well as the waste produced by expired equipment. Wind turbines need neodymium and dysprosium for their magnets, whilst solar panels depend on silicon, indium, and tellurium. Lithium-ion batteries, which store renewable energy, require cobalt, and nickel in addition to Lithium.
The extraction process of these rare earth compounds produces large amounts of toxic waste and consumes vital water resources and can result in contamination. For each ton of rare earth elements produced, the mining process produces 13 kg of dust, 9,600–12,000 cubic meter waste gas, 75 cubic meter wastewater, and a ton radioactive residue [2]. These externalities must be quantified and accounted for when thinking about the costs and benefits of renewable energy. The environmental impact of these extraction methods severely affects both the health of the natural environment and the quality of human life. In China, which dominates the rare-earth market, entire villages have been displaced due to severe pollution from nearby mining operations [3].
Meanwhile, lithium extraction in South America’s “Lithium Triangle” (Argentina, Bolivia and Chile) has caused a severe lack of water, affecting indigenous communities and threatening local agriculture and wildlife [4]. Mining also contributes to deforestation and displacement of housing and communties. Lithium mining in the Atakama desert of Chile, one of the driest places on Earth, has dried local water sources and damaged delicate ecosystems [5]. Additionally, mining waste, often containing toxic heavy metals, can contaminate soil and groundwater, passing longterm threats to plant and animal life for generations.
Furthermore, wind turbines cause aviation death for birds and bats due to collisions. Wind turbine noise and vibration disrupts mammals and fish who find these unnatural and therefore avoid what was their natural environment. Solar farms require significant land usage which causes natural landscape destruction and displaces mammals. These developments cause fragmented habitats which reduce biodiversity.
Ethical and Human Rights Concerns
Beyond environmental damage, rare-earth mining has serious human costs. In developing countries, the mining industry is plagued by human rights violations, including forced labour and unsafe working conditions. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, which produces over 70% of the world’s cobalt, miners work in hazardous conditions for low wages and with little concern for their safety. Reports have documented child labour in cobalt mines, where children as young as seven work in dangerous tunnels [6]. These inhumane practices highlight the need for stricter regulations and more responsible sourcing of materials.
Sustainable Solutions and Future Outlook
Despite these negative externalities of alternative energy production, the world urgently needs alternatives to fossil fuels. By addressing these negatives proactively, they can be planned for and their impact meaningfully reduced. Recycling of rare-earth metals from old electronics, batteries, and wind turbines could reduce dependence on new mining. While currently, only 1% of rare-earth metals are recycled [7], regulations should be established to enforce recycling programs as part of the manufacturing and sales process, thereby addressing the end of life waste as part of the installation process.
Governments and end buyers need to enforce stricter regulations on mining companies to ensure environmental and labor protections. This is possible as some companies are already developing more sustainable mining practices, such as using closed-loop water systems to reduce contamination and prioritizing ethical labor practices in sourcing raw materials.
Whilst solar and wind energy are essential for cutting carbon emissions, their expansion should not come at the cost of new environmental and human rights abuses. A truly sustainable future requires ethical supply chains, responsible resource management, and investment in alternatives to rare-earth mining. Without these safeguards, the renewable energy transition risks replicating the same destructive patterns of traditional extractive industries.
References
[1] RMI:X-Change: “Electricity–On Track for Net Zero”, Kingsmill Bond, Sam Butler-Sloss, Amory Lovins, Laurens Speelman, Nigel Topping
[2] Harvard International Review Article. “Not So ‘Green’ Technology: The Complicated Legacy of Rare Earth Mining”, August 12, 2021
[3] China Water Risk. “RARE EARTHS: SHADES OF GREY, Can China Continue To Fuel Our Global Clean & Smart Future”, Hongqiao Liu, Debra Tan & Feng Hu; June 2016
[5] The Guardian. “Chile’s Lithium Rush and Its Environmental Costs.” 2023.
[6] Amnesty International. “This is What We Die For: Child Labor and Corporate Responsibility in Congo’s Cobalt Mines.” 2016. Human Rights Watch. “Cobalt Mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A Human Rights Perspective.” 2019.
[7] World Economic Forum. “Why We Need to Increase Rare-Earth Recycling.” 2020.References1. https://www.iea.org/reports/renewables-2023/electricity 2. https://hir.harvard.edu/not-so-green-technology-the-complicated-legacy-of-rare-earth-mining/
[8] National Geographic. “The Hidden Risks of Deep-Sea Mining for Rare Earth Elements.” 2022.
