The Delicate Balance: Lithium Mining and Endangered Species
Delicate pink buds sway in the desert breeze, pregnant with yellow pompoms whose explosion will carpet the dusty corner of Nevada that is the only place on Earth where they exist. Under their roots lie vast reserves of lithium, vital for the rechargeable electric car batteries that will reduce planet-heating pollution. But campaigners fear the extraction of the precious metal could destroy the flower’s tiny habitat.
The Threat to Tiehm’s Buckwheat
“This mine is going to cause extinction,” says Patrick Donnelly, an environmentalist who works at the Center for Biological Diversity, a non-governmental organization. The plant in question is Tiehm’s buckwheat. There are only around 20,000 known specimens, growing in a few very specific places on a total surface area equivalent to around five soccer fields. In 2022, the wildflower was classified as endangered by US federal authorities, with mining cited as a major threat to its survival.
The Role of Lithium in the Global Climate Struggle
Bernard Rowe, boss of Australian miner Ioneer, which holds the mineral rights to the area, says the lithium produced at Rhyolite Ridge “will be sufficient to provide batteries for about 370,000 vehicles” a year. Those nearly 10 million vehicles will go a long way towards meeting the goal of cutting down the nation’s fleet of gas-guzzlers to reduce US production of planet-warming pollutants.
Challenges in Lithium Supply and Demand
Global demand for lithium is expected to increase five to seven times by 2030. The United States, with very little domestic production, aims to develop a domestic supply chain to support the energy transition. Ioneer’s plans for the Rhyolite Ridge mine aim to be an integral part of this strategy.
Controversy and Concerns
Environmentalists like Donnelly argue that the mining operation poses a significant threat to the survival of Tiehm’s buckwheat. While Ioneer insists that the mine and the plant can coexist, concerns about habitat destruction and biodiversity loss persist. Mitigation methods are planned, but the debate over the future of the plant and the impact of mining on the environment continues.