Environmental Consequences
The environmental consequences associated with electric cars are astounding and are never fully explained to the public.
Instead, those in favor of electric cars have used generic words that downplay the severity of these consequences.
Surface Mine Waste Reservoirs
Surface mine waste reservoirs are a scar on the land and in some cases, they leak very toxic chemicals into our water systems and land environments (see here).
Figure 1 is a photo of a surface mine waste reservoir. These reservoirs store pieces of rock that had minerals and metals extracted from them.
Restoration
Restoring a mined area to its original state typically takes at least four years (Figure 2), a process pushed by environmentalists to clean up and return the lands to their original state.
When completed it represents the last step in an open pit mine’s existence. However, this restoration process uses monster trucks, graders, tons of new soil, planting of vegetation, etc. The restoration effort has an enormous carbon footprint.
Summary
The real carbon footprint of electric cars is far greater than portrayed by research studies, government entities, and the media.
This is because they only take into account a few of the steps needed to build an electric car.
When adding all the carbon footprint values of each step together, it turns out that electric cars have a greater carbon footprint than gasoline cars.
Biography
James Edward Kamis is a retired geologist with 47 years of experience, a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from Northern Illinois University (1973), and a Master of Science degree in Geology from Idaho State University (1976). More than 46 years of research have convinced him that geological forces significantly influence, or in some cases completely control climate and climate-related events as per his Plate Climatology Theory. Kamis’ new book, Geological Impacts on Climate, is available now.
Thomas Richard, CCD editor, contributed to this article.
See Parts 1 and 2 here and here, respectively.
If it’s a tailings pond in Alberta or a slag heap at a steel mill, good gawd damn! If it’s child labor or diesel engines at a “green mineral” pit, nothing to see here. Politics is to blame. Why is “common sense” considered a foul phrase? I am discouraged by the lack of curiosity and self interest.
Remember it takes 500 TONS of earth mining to make ONE EV battery. EVs are an environmental catastrophe.
The Chinese CCP does not care about their environment so they rape their REE deposits and destroy their land.
Typical behavior of all money grabbing Communists. Is anyone surprised they are losing arable land in China with such criminal thugs in charge ?
The very same fools who think going totally dependent upon EV,s are the same useful idiots who storm the Ball Games wearing their T-Shirts with their stupid slogans on them