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Recommendation Analysis

The selected technology is the electric vehicle. An electric vehicle refers to an automobile that utilizes battery power to run rather than the standard internal combustion engine (Barkenbus, 2020). Thus, it is powered by electricity and not gasoline. Concerning the application of electric vehicles, the technology plays a huge role in transitioning the world towards sustainable energy from the current non-renewable sources. Electric vehicles will transition the global transport sector and the world in general from the current polluting combustion engines to eco-friendly and sustainable energy sources. Electric vehicles will benefit people by mitigating the effects of climate change and improving air quality. Regarding the reach of electric vehicles, currently, this technology can be found in all parts of the world. However, in underdeveloped regions like Africa, electric vehicles have not been adequately adopted by the populations due to poor policies and limited infrastructure to support their use.

Thesis

Despite the benefits accrued from the use of electric vehicles by society, the sourcing of certain raw materials for these vehicles often involves unethical practices. It is paramount that these unethical practices be resolved to facilitate the sustainability of the manufacture of electric vehicles.

Ethical Dilemmas

There are three major dilemmas posed by electric vehicles. First, there is the issue of cobalt mining. Considering cobalt is a major raw material in the production of electric vehicles, the electric vehicle industry has come under fire concerning the human rights issues associated with cobalt mining. Cobalt is a vital component of the batteries used in electric vehicles. Currently, most of the cobalt in the world is obtained from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Verified reports suggest that the mining of cobalt is done by hand through the use of both adult and child laborers (Sovacool, 2021). The mining is done in exploitative and hazardous conditions as well. This goes against the deontological theory of ethics, which asserts that people have the duty to do the right thing (Chonko, 2021). The mode of cobalt mining in itself is wrong despite the cobalt being applied in a technology that reduces air pollution.

Second, there is the issue of lithium mining. Lithium is another raw material for the production of electric vehicles. The electric vehicle industry has also come under fire with regard to how it is dealing with the environmental degradation caused by lithium mining. The majority of lithium resources can be traced to the salt flats of several developing countries such as the Andean regions of Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia. The mining of this resource entails the use of large amounts of groundwater. This water is applied in pumping out brines from drilled wells to get a ton of lithium, one needs approximately 2 million liters of water (Babidge, 2016). Consequently, the mining of lithium results in the depletion of groundwater, soil contamination, and various types of environmental degradation, this is forcing many people to evacuate their ancestral settlements, which are becoming inhabitable. This goes against the utilitarian theory of ethics, which asserts that an ethical choice is one that focuses on good outcomes for the greatest number of people (Chonko, 2021). Lithium mining results in more harm than good since it is not well regulated.

Finally, there is the issue of climate change. Electric vehicles are meant to help fight climate change through the production of less emission and the use of renewable energy. However, there are questions from stakeholders regarding whether the production and manufacture of electric cars are sustainable. For example, the manufacture of the batteries used in electric vehicles is responsible for a large portion of carbon emissions. Qiao et al. (2017) assert that the carbon emissions produced when manufacturing the batteries is more than the emissions used in manufacturing internal combustion engines. This is ironic because electric vehicles are supposed to be environmentally friendly.

Recommendations

1) Cobalt Mining – Human rights provisions should be promoted by all stakeholders involved in cobalt mining with the respective governments forced to strictly implement the rights. Child labor should be abolished while adult laborers should be placed in more conducive work environments with fair pay and compensation.

2) Lithium Mining – Environmentally friendly means of mining should be adopted. For example, the direct lithium extraction model can be adopted since it is very environmentally friendly. This technique facilitates the recycling of 98% of the brine water. Thus, it mitigates the issues of the depletion of water supplies.

3) Climate Change – The manufacture of electric vehicles should be done in a sustainable and eco-friendly manner. It beats logic to use traditional techniques of producing vehicles, which strive to minimize the pollution of the environment. Therefore, renewable sources of energy should be used in the manufacture of electric vehicles. Also, proper waste management should be incorporated by car manufacturers.

Conclusion

This paper has investigated three ethical dilemmas involved in the manufacture of electric vehicles. They are human rights issues involved in cobalt mining, environmental degradation issues involved in lithium mining, and the climate change-related issues involved in the use of non-renewable energy sources in the manufacture of electric vehicles. Three recommendations to counter these issues have been relayed. It is paramount that these unethical practices be resolved to facilitate the sustainability of the manufacture of electric vehicles.

References

Babidge, S. (2016). Contested value and an ethics of resources: Water, mining and indigenous people in the Atacama desert, Chile. The Australian Journal of Anthropology, 27(1), 84-103.

Barkenbus, J. N. (2020). Prospects for electric vehicles. Sustainability, 12(14), 5813.

Chonko, L. (2021). Ethical theories. The University of Texas.

Qiao, Q., Zhao, F., Liu, Z., Jiang, S., & Hao, H. (2017). Cradle-to-gate greenhouse gas emissions of battery electric and internal combustion engine vehicles in China. Applied energy, 204, 1399-1411.

Sovacool, B. K. (2021). When subterranean slavery supports sustainability transitions? Power, patriarchy, and child labor in artisanal Congolese cobalt mining. The Extractive Industries and Society, 8(1), 271-293.