Lithium Mining

To meet the emissions goals in the Paris Climate Agreement, America is going to need a lot of batteries for electrical vehicles and storing solar and wind power. But batteries pose their own environmental challenges. Providence College political science professor Thea Riofrancos studies the energy sector and is working on a new book called “Brine to Batteries” which is about one key ingredient in batteries–lithium. Riofrancos is pictured at some salt flats in Chile where lithium is extracted.