Clean irony: Electric cars, green energy production could be killing 4,642 species

Every country pursues the global mission of transitioning to clean energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

However, the shift to renewable energy sources has endangered 4,642 species of vertebrates.

A new study said that mineral extraction worldwide through mining, quarrying, and drilling for oil and gas is threatening these species.

Mining activities coincide with some of the most valuable biodiversity hotspots in the world, which harbor a wide variety of species and unique habitats that are not found anywhere else on Earth.

The transition to clean energy poses a significant threat to species due to mining essential materials like lithium and cobalt, which are key components of solar panels, wind turbines, and electric cars.

Mining increasing risk

Quarrying for limestone, which is needed in large quantities for cement as a construction material, also endangers many species.

The threat to nature isn’t limited to the physical locations of the mines. For example, species living at great distances can also be impacted by polluted watercourses or deforestation for new access roads and infrastructure.

The researchers suggest that governments and the mining industry should concentrate on reducing the pollution caused by mining as an “easy win” to minimize the biodiversity loss linked to mineral extraction.

This is the most complete global assessment of the threat to biodiversity from mineral extraction ever undertaken. The results are published in the journal Current Biology .

“We simply won’t be able to deliver the clean energy we need to reduce our climate impact without mining for the materials we need, and that creates a problem because we’re mining in locations that often have very high levels of biodiversity,” said Professor David Edwards in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences and Conservation Research Institute, senior author of the report.

He added, “So many species, particularly fish, are being put at risk through the pollution caused by mining. It would be an easy win to work on reducing this freshwater pollution so we can still get the products we need for the clean energy transition, but in a way that isn’t causing so much biodiversity loss.”

Which species are at risk?

Among all vertebrate species, fish are particularly at high risk from mining, with 2,053 species affected, followed by reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals.

The threat level is associated with the habitat and lifestyle of a particular species: species that inhabit freshwater habitats and those with small ranges are especially vulnerable.

“The need for limestone as a core component of construction activity also poses a real risk to wildlife. Lots of species are very restricted in where they live because they’re specialized to live on limestone. A cement mine can literally take out an entire hillside—and with it these species’ homes,” said Ieuan Lamb in the University of Sheffield’s School of Biosciences, first author of the report.

The bent-toed gecko, for instance, is at risk due to limestone quarrying in Malaysia. It only inhabits a single mountain range that will be destroyed by planned mining activity.

Global demand for metal minerals, fossil fuels, and construction materials is growing dramatically , and the extraction industry is expanding rapidly to meet this demand.

In 2022, the revenue of the industry as a whole was estimated at US $943 billion.