By Emily Thompson

Serbians are furious over a government plan to develop a lithium mine despite warnings that it could be detrimental to public health as it could pollute nearby agricultural land and water.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the Serbian capital to protest against the rebooting of a controversial lithium mine set to serve as a vital power source in Europe’s green energy transition.

Protesters in Serbia had set a deadline for the government to cancel the mining project, which expired on Saturday, prompting their mobilization.

Lithium is a strategically valuable metal needed for electric vehicle batteries, making it key for helping the car industry shift to greener production.

The vast project involving British-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has European Union support and aims to fill Europe’s lack of local sources for the mineral. Lithium is crucial for making things like electric car and smartphone batteries.

Protesters waved Serbian flags and chanted slogans like, “You will not dig” and “Rio Tinto leave Serbia!”

Serbia has vast lithium deposits near the western city of Loznica, where a mining project being developed by the Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has been a perennial political fault line in the Balkan country over its potential environmental impacts.

The deposits were discovered in 2004, but weeks of mass protests forced the government to halt the project in 2022.

But the government recently made a U-turn on the issue following a court decision last month that said the order to revoke the permits awarded to Rio Tinto was “not in line with the constitution and the law”.

Shortly after, the Serbian government greenlit the project’s restart and signed a memorandum of understanding with the EU that is seen as the first step in developing Serbia’s lithium resources.

The government of President Aleksandar Vucic said the protests were politically motivated, designed to topple him.

If carried out as planned, the $2.4 billion (€2.2 billion) Jadar mine is expected to supply 90% of Europe’s current lithium demand and position Rio Tinto as one of the world’s leading lithium producers.

Although both the company and the Serbian government assure that the highest environmental standards will be maintained, their guarantees have not succeeded in convincing opponents.

The reason why this is so important and why more lithium sources need to be found and mined is addressed by the consulting firm McKinsey, which has claimed that the current global lithium supply will not meet the projected demand for large lithium-powered batteries by 2030.

But according to APM Research Lab, the process to mine, refine and assemble EVs, particularly their batteries, is environmentally damaging.

As noted by MIT’s Climate Lab, one ton of mined lithium emits nearly 15 tons of CO2.

According to the same report, burning the fossil fuels required to manufacture lithium or EV batteries contributes to high levels of CO2 emissions.

Others agree that lithium mining is damaging.

According to Greenmatch and Mining Technology, the extraction process is known to cause soil degradation, water scarcity, and air contamination, raising concerns about the sustainability of this critical resource.

It is clear that lithium mining, while essential for powering the growing demand for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage, has significant environmental implications that are often overlooked.

One of the most pressing concerns is the enormous water consumption required in lithium extraction, particularly from brine deposits. To extract just one ton of lithium, approximately 500,000 liters of water are needed, which can have devastating effects on water resources, especially in arid regions. This level of water usage not only depletes local water supplies but also disrupts ecosystems and the communities that depend on these resources.

Contamination of soil and water sources is another critical issue. The chemicals used in lithium extraction, such as sulfuric acid, seep into the ground, posing risks to human health and wildlife. This contamination not only affects the immediate environment but also has long-term consequences for the sustainability of local ecosystems.

Traditional evaporation methods of lithium extraction, which use millions of liters of water per metric ton of lithium, primarily from brine, and chemical extraction processes that require significant freshwater, place additional strain on local water supplies.

Critics often note that the production of lithium batteries, often touted as a green solution, paradoxically results in substantial carbon emissions. In fact, producing a lithium battery can emit over 70% more carbon dioxide than manufacturing a traditional car. This raises concerns about the overall carbon footprint of lithium mining as the global market continues to expand.

The energy-intensive nature of lithium mining, especially from hard rock sources, adds another layer of environmental impact. The substantial electricity required for crushing, grinding, and chemical separation processes often comes from non-renewable sources, further increasing the carbon footprint of lithium production.

At the end of the day, while lithium mining is crucial for the transition to a low-carbon economy, the environmental and social costs are substantial.

Serbia’s citizens are justified in their anger.

The depletion of water resources, pollution, carbon emissions, waste generation, energy consumption, and the impact on Serbia’s communities are all critical issues that must be addressed to ensure that the push for renewable energy does not come at the expense of anyone’s health or the well-being of vulnerable populations.

Image: Pixabay

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