Critical minerals like cobalt, lithium and rare earth elements abound in Australia. But we’re not making the most of these in-demand resources.
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Articles on Lithium
Displaying 21 - 40 of 55 articles
From pulling carbon dioxide out of the air to turning water into fuel, innovators are developing new technologies and pairing existing ones to help slow global warming.
Lithium is essential for batteries that power electric vehicles and store energy from solar and wind farms. A new U.S. source could provide 10 times more lithium than the country uses today.
Canada could become a global leader in the supply of materials needed for renewable energy systems if it finds ways to control the environmental footprints associated with their extraction.
Local communities near lithium deposits shouldn’t become zones of sacrifice, shouldering the socio-environmental costs of supporting a renewable energy transition.
Afghanistan has vast mineral resources that have long attracted interest from outside countries, but a lack of infrastructure and political instability means they’re unlikely to aid its economy now.
The US is generating more electricity than ever from wind and solar power – but often it’s not needed at the time it’s produced. Advanced energy storage technologies make that power available 24/7.
Some lithium-ion batteries can now propel a car 250 miles on a ten-minute charge.
Building renewable energy infrastructure involves mining for materials such as lithium, graphite and cobalt. If not done responsibly, that could cause huge environmental damage.
Astronomers have discovered that stars like the Sun produce huge amounts of lithium late in their lives.
Europe imports the majority of its lithium, an essential material for the energy transition, yet is home to significant deposits.
Bolivia’s huge lithium reserves are isolated and hard to extract, and global uncertainty over electric vehicles is bad for business.
Eminent economist Ross Garnaut says if climate action fails, he fears the consequences ‘would be beyond contemporary Australia’. But zero-emissions iron and aluminium could be the way forward.
Treatment needs to focus on fewer antidepressants, more lithium and supportive group education.
If you are intimidated by the periodic table, then this introduction through the first column of elements will give you a feel for how and why the elements are arranged in this order.
Until we cut consumption, we will only shift problems from one natural resource to another.
A year ago, the world’s largest lithium-ion battery began dispatching power to South Australia’s grid. It has been a remarkable success but there are some concerns that have so far escaped scrutiny
Electric cars might be a quick fix to clean up transport, but the problems with cars go beyond just emissions.
A new rechargeable ‘proton battery’ - made chiefly from carbon and water - promises to outperform conventional lithium-ion batteries, while also being more environmentally friendly.
The fossil fuel era won’t last forever. And a new set of countries will find their reserves of lithium, copper and rare earth metals are in high demand.
Top contributors
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Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
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Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Kyoto University
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Lecturer, Edith Cowan University
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Research Professor of Geology, University of California, Riverside
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Ph.D. Candidate of Energy Policy, Boise State University
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Researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
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Professor of Resource Futures, University of Technology Sydney
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Senior research fellow and lecturer, Monash University
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Scientia Professor of Neuropsychiatry, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), School of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney
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Professor Emeritus, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
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Professor, The University of Queensland
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Lecturer in Environmental Management, The University of Queensland
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Professor of Geosciences, Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)
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Distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment, University of Delaware (USA); Honorary Professor, The University of Queensland
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Lecturer, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington
