Lithium Mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a New Mineral Rush Spearheaded by the United States, Europe, and Other Major Powers (opens in new tab)

Like oil in the twentieth century, lithium is the ‘white gold’ of the twenty-first. Demand for this key element is driving economic growth based on the ‘renewable’ energy provided by lithium-ion batteries. Such batteries are necessary for storing energy from solar photovoltaics in order to make that electricity readily available. A lightweight metal, lithium is [...]