Abstract
The United States and the world are undergoing an accelerated energy transition with high stakes regarding energy security (i.e., the availability, affordability, accessibility, reliability, and acceptability of energy). Concerns about climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are dominating the debate about which energy technologies are politically most acceptable to meet energy needs. Renewable energy, energy efficiency, and electric battery storage technologies appear to be the preferred technologies. However, we believe the notion that renewables and electric storage (batteries) are “clean” has been overstated. This column will shed some light on the following: what “clean energy” means; the environmental impacts of lithium‐ion batteries; and what governments and electric vehicle and battery companies must do to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and reduce environmental impacts associated with the lithium‐ion electric battery supply chain.
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