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Do we have enough lithium to power the future?

Can we meet the soaring demand for lithium, a vital metal for electric cars and green energy? Mining is concentrated in a limited number of countries such as Australia and Chile.

Can we meet the soaring demand for lithium, a vital metal for electric cars and green energy? Mining is concentrated in a limited number of countries such as Australia and Chile. And with China dominating the manufacture of electric car batteries and already accounting for the importation of a high proportion of raw lithium, it may be difficult for Western countries to secure their own supplies.

With Tanya Beckett. Producer Bob Howard

(A worker checks lithium car batteries at the Xinwangda factory in Nanjing,China on March 12, 2021. AFP via Getty Images)

Available now

23 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Thu 3 Feb 2022 08:06GMT
  • Thu 3 Feb 2022 15:06GMT
  • Thu 3 Feb 2022 18:06GMT
  • Thu 3 Feb 2022 23:06GMT
  • Sun 6 Feb 2022 12:06GMT

Podcast