User:Vita Gu/Environmental impacts of lithium-ion batteries

The extraction process of lithium is very resource demanding and specifically uses a lot of water in the extraction process. It is estimated that 500,000 gallons of water is used to mine one metric ton of lithium. With the world's leading country in production of lithium being Chile, the lithium mines are in rural areas with an extremely diverse ecosystem.

With the world's leading country in production of lithium being Chile, the lithium mines are in rural areas with an extremely diverse ecosystem. In Chile’s Salar de Atacama, one of the driest places on earth, about 65% of the water is used to mine lithium; leaving the local farmers and members of the community to find water elsewhere.