Re: “Few energy sources come without baggage,” March 28.
Columnist David Bly mentions the neodymium used in wind turbine magnets mined in China. He could also have mentioned the even bigger problem of lithium, used in electric-car batteries. China is one of the biggest producers of this rare earth mineral and much of it comes from Tibet.
In his movie Plundering Tibet and his book Meltdown in Tibet, Michael Buckley exposes the huge problems caused by mining of the mineral in areas that used to be populated by nature-conscious nomads, now forcibly displaced to barren concrete dwellings. The mining is without environmental regulations or any attention to the effect on water, landscape and climate, auguring future problems for millions while the corporations leave with their profits.
Sadly, Canadian mining companies have contributed to such situations and China Gold, based in Vancouver, is one of worst culprits.
So, electric cars? Perhaps we should think again, or insist that the battery material comes from environmentally conscious producers.
Anne Spencer
Victoria
