The transition to clean energy by 2050 would be much MORE destructive to the environment than continued fossil fuel use

A transition to “clean energy” 

will be incredibly dirty,

and most likely not feasable.

A 2017 World Bank report 

estimated the increase of

material extraction 

to build enough solar and 

wind utilities to produce 

7 terawatts of electricity

per year by 2050. 
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/207371500386458722/pdf/117581-WP-P159838-PUBLIC-ClimateSmartMiningJuly.pdf

That amount of electricity

would power about 

half of the global economy.

Doubling World Bank numbers 

would estimate the materials

needed for 100% wind and

solar electricity by 2050:

34 million metric tons of copper, 

40 million tons of lead, 

50 million tons of zinc, 

162 million tons of aluminum,

4.8 billion tons of iron.

For neodymium, 

used for

wind turbines: 

Extraction will need 

to rise by nearly 

35% over current levels,

with a worst case 

estimate of doubling.

For silver, 

critical to 

solar panels.

Extraction will go up 38%,

with a worst case estimate 

of doubling.

Indium, essential to 

solar technology, 

extraction will 

more than triple 

with a worst case 

estimate of +920%.

Batteries for nights,

and periods of no winds,

will need 40 million tons 

of lithium, up +2,700% 

over current levels 

of extraction.

That’s just for electricity. 

What about the world’s 

projected fleet of 2 billion 

vehicles?

Global annual extraction 

of neodymium and dysprosium 

will go up by another 70%, 

annual copper extraction

will need to more than double, 

and cobalt will need to increase

by a factor of almost four—

all from now to 2050.

Mining is one of the biggest 

single drivers of deforestation, 

ecosystem collapse, and 

biodiversity loss around the world.

Examples:

SILVER:

Mexico's Peñasquito mine

is one of the biggest silver mines 

in the world. 

It's a 40 square mile open pit mine.

It's flanked by two mile long 

waste dumps, and a tailings dam 

full of toxic sludge held back 

by a wall that’s 7 miles around 

and as high as a 50-story 

skyscraper. 

For 100% renewables by 2050, 

we need 130 more mines 

matching Peñasquito's output,

just for silver.

LITHIUM:

It takes 500,000 gallons 

of water to produce 

a single ton of lithium. 

In the Andes, where most 

of the world’s lithium is located, 

mining companies are burning 

through the water tables 

and leaving farmers with 

nothing to irrigate their crops. 

That's just to power the 

existing global economy. 

Most of the key materials 

for the energy transition 

are located south of the 

equator.

The transition to clean energy 

by 2050 would be much MORE

destructive to the environment

than continued fossil fuel use.